


Catch Me

by Gloomiebunny009



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Asexual Character, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-12-18 12:39:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11874639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gloomiebunny009/pseuds/Gloomiebunny009
Summary: Delivery Girl Sakamoto Ryuko isn't afraid of the supposedly big bad wolf Akechi guarding the forest. She has a job to do and losing to some over confident dork is not an option.





	1. Chapter 1

“Yo Ryuko-kun, I’ve got your last delivery to run!”

After knocking on the break room’s door, Mishima Yuki makes his way over to his co-worker holding up the particular package in his hand. He watches her stretch her arms over her head for a moment before letting them fall to her sides. With a bright smile Sakamoto Ryūji takes the small box in hand and looks it over.

“You guys have me pretty busy today don’t cha?” She asks as she examines the address, pausing at it.

Mishima smiles sheepishly at her as he shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah sorry about that. I know the older delivery guys are shoving a lot of work on to you lately so I hate to ask you to deliver this one. But the boss wants you to do this one specifically.”

“I don’t mind, but I can see why he’d want me to do this job.” She says with a grin. “This is pretty close and I am the fastest on foot.”

Despite her slight limp from an old leg injury, Ryuko’s pretty proud of her speed. At first the Red Hood Delivery company had been doubtful she’d make it as a good delivery boy...or well girl in this case. But after a few weeks she proved herself to be pretty good here in the city. She likes the job personally, finding it an easy excuse to stay active and it pays good too. Thanks to this job she’s living on her own, and giving her mom plenty of room with her new husband.

The boss has been keeping her to the city limits though, and one look at the new package tells her that’s changing. Past the thick woods that surrounds the edge of her home, there’s a small village that is more of a tourist spot. Most people get there by bus, but that tends to take a while since she knows it has a specific route that’s longer than just walking through the forest. She isn’t exactly sure why people avoid walking there but figures it’s something to do with the many creatures that live there.

Which is something she’s never really experienced after living in the city her whole life…

“Yeah it is, but well...you see...there’s a catch.” Mishima watches Ryuko slip the package into her delivery bag, before holding out a pouch of coins.

“What’s this for?” Ryuko ask as he drops it into her hands, snorting at a thought “This isn’t bus fair is it?”

“No, but it is payment for letting you pass through the woods.” Mishima says simply.

“Is there like a toll house or something?” Ryuko frowns at this, scrunching up her nose. “Never heard of that for walking distance.”

“It’s nothing like that...or maybe well...kinda.” Misham sighs heavily. “Listen, I know you’ve heard about the weird stuff that goes down in there right?”

“Yeah that’s where all the fae and shit like that lives right?” She says slipping the coin pouch into her bag. “They don’t like the city so I’ve never met a magical creature to be completely honest.”

“Not to surprised.” Mishima scratches at his cheek at this. “I’ve only met a few myself working this job, but even in this field of work you don’t usually meet them. They stick to the forest and to themselves really.”

Ryuko nods her head understanding his words as she thinks back to all the stories that were taught in school. It’s been a while since she graduated but some of are fresh in her mind ranging from mischievous faeries, or the occasional shapeshifting animal. Those were the ones who liked forests right?

“Anyways, here’s the route the boss wants you to follow. It’s a pretty straight forward trail so you won’t have to worry about twists or turns.” Mishima explains as he hands over a map for her. He points to a particular spot, tapping it lightly to get her attention. “But when you get to this bridge you’ll be expected to pay to get over it, or the wolf won’t let you pass.”

Ryuko blinks up at Mishima and tries not to laugh at how serious he looks. “Um...did you say wolf? As in like...four legged fury canine? What, can it talk or does it just growl at you?”

“Oh he can talk, trust me on that one.” Mishima sighs nervously.

“Soooo he’s a shapeshifter?” Ryuko asks tilting her head. “Never met one of those before...”

“Yeah he is, and supposedly he’s the one protecting the forest or something. I’ve never really asked.” Mishima explains scratching at his neck. “When I worked delivery and they sent me that way I just gave him the money and he let me pass.”

“Huh...so wait...does he own the forest? The bridge?” Ryuko asks tilting her head, frowning a bit. “If he doesn’t we don’t owe him shit.”

“Ryuko-kun don’t be stubborn okay? I don’t know the whole story, all I know is we are expected to pay him and he let’s us through. That’s the deal our boss set up with him and I don’t know about you but I’m okay with paying a wolf so he doesn’t eat us.”

Ryuko tries not to laugh at Mishima’s words, especially with the dark serious look on his face. But she can’t help but find it funny that an animal, even a shapeshifting one, is somehow getting cash from their delivery guys. Despite this, she knows it probably comes from a serious place, you don’t mess with magic after all, so she nods her head.

“Alright I’ll make sure to pay the wolf so he doesn’t eat me or some shit.” Ryuko says as she turns to leave. Mishima follows her after her, writing something on his clipboard as he nods his head.

“Great, this is your last job for the day so just call us back when you arrive and I’ll clock you out.” Mishima says with a grin. “Keep your head down Ryuko-kun, I don’t want to hear about you getting eaten because of your mouth or something.”

“If the wolf can catch me then he deserves to eat me.” Ryuko smirks at Mishima as she punches him lightly in the shoulder. “Either way thanks, and I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Ryuko stops, zipping up her uniform’s jacket before pulling the hood over her head. She stretches her legs out a bit, before bouncing a bit to loosen up. Mishima winces at the punch and holds his arm with a pained grimace on his lips but nods his head.

“Yeah I’ll see you tomorrow Ryuko-kun. Be careful!”

“I always am! See ya!”

Ryuko waves at him one more time before she races off, heading towards the edge of the city. Mishima watches her turn around the corner, privately praying she’ll keep her mouth shut.

He’d hate to loose a friend because a wolf ate them.

* * *

Ryuko has always considered herself a city girl, but given the calmness of the forest around her, she can admit to herself she could get use to this. The birds chirping above is far more enjoyable than the loud sounds of the city, and even though there are a few bugs it’s not unbearable. The coolness brought on by the trees is pleasant compared to the hot sun she’d been jogging just a few moments ago. By this point she’s slowed down to enjoy the environment, knowing she’s has plenty of time to do so.

‘ _The bridge should be up ahead.’_ Ryuko thinks as she takes a second to double check her map, before she stuffs it back into her pocket. _‘And that’s where the big bad wolf is supposed to be.’_

Ryuko isn’t that worried about the supposedly scary animal waiting for her to arrive. To her it sounds stupid, and more like some fable she heard as a kid. She knows Mishima use to be a runner like herself before he was promoted to being her supervisor, and probably came down here a lot. He’s such a jumpy guy on the other hand that it’s hard to take him seriously.

‘ _I know this shit is real, but at the same time...a wolf beating people down for money? Even with it being a shapeshifter or whatever it’s still sounds like bullshit.’_

She soon forgets this line of thought as the sound of water flowing reaches her ears. This makes her rush forward, wanting to see the river sooner rather than later. A few twist and turns later she finds herself at a cobble stone bridge with a slow moving river under it.

“Whoooaaa...” Ryuko grins as she jogs up to the structure, taking her first step on it. “This is so freaking cool...”

She leans over the side and looks down a the cool water flowing by. In the back of her mind she’s only ever seen a bridge like this in a park, and never this large at that. She leans her arms against the railing, listening to the calm water as the sound of ducks join it soon. Ryuko looks a bit around, and grins when a little mallard floats on out, dipping it’s head down in the water before coming back up and shaking it’s head.

“Damn should have brought some bread.” She mumbles to herself, and makes a mental note to bring some if she’s sent out this way again.

“Oh no please don’t, it hurts the ducks more than feeds them.”

The light but deep voice that announces it’s self next to her ear makes Ryuko scream in surprise. She jumps back, hand on her chest as she stares at the person who she swears literally appeared behind her. Holding up his hands with a pleasant smile is a young man, chuckling at her actions. She’s a bit taken back by his appearance, not expecting someone so nicely dressed in tan coat and dress pants to be out in the middle of the woods much less sneak up on her. The black leather gloves are a bit of a surprise too, but outside of that he looks like he’d fit more in the city than here.

“I apologize.” He says politely lowering his hands. “I did not mean to frighten you.”

“Yeah...well ya did.” Ryuko huffs as she glares at him, her right leg starting to jiggle from annoyance. “Jeez, do you always sneak up on people like that?”

“No not to often, but my suggestion still stands. Don’t bring bread, it’s not exactly great for the ducks. Lettuce is a bit better, and it’s also quite cute to watch them eat it.” He explains placing a hand on his hip.

Ryuko stares at him, before giving a slow nod. “Oookay dude...thanks for the info. Now if you’ll excuse me or whatever I’m busy.” She points her thumb behind her and takes a step back. “I”ve got a package to delivery and if you keep talking to me I’ll be late.”

That’s a bit of a lie, but at the same time something about this guy creeps her out. He’s to perfect looking to just be walking around out in the middle of the woods.

“I can see that with your uniform. You must be the new delivery boy that they’re sending out here instead of Mishima-kun.” He cups his chin as he looks her up and down. “Though I must admit, I never expected to see a young delivery _woman_ to be sent.”

She blinks at his words and tilts her head to the side. “Huh?”

Ryuko works in a part of her company that is primarily male seeing as they run around so much. Most have bikes, or motorcycles to get them through the city while she prefers to free run around like some monkey, or so she’s been told. Personally she’d is kind of planning on saving up for at least a bike to help her get around faster, but that’s not important right now.

So she’s not that upset when he’s surprised she’s a woman. What she is taken back by is the fact that he’s acting as if he’s been _waiting_ for her. With the large logo on the back of her hoodie, she isn’t surprise he knows what her job is, that’s the whole point after all. At the same time however, he’s kind of creeping her out more.

Frowning and slipping her hands into her hoodie’s pockets, Ryuko takes hold of her switch blade. It’s not the biggest knife in the world, but it has come in handy working in other tight spots. Running around the city with packages and that can be a dangerous job after all.

“And you are…?” She watches him as he blinks out of his thoughts and focuses on her.

There’s something...off about them.

They’re to sharp for a human, and stare straight through her.

“You must have been told...or were at least warned about me correct?” He smirks at her as he holds out his hand, open and waiting for something. “So just pay me your toll and I will let you pass.”

Ryuko looks between the young man and over her shoulder...which is where she’s supposed to be heading. Still confused she stares at his hand, watching him flex it as he waits for whatever.

“Um...yeah I’m going to need one more clue here dude...” Ryuko points out, watching him sigh dramatically.

Rolling his eyes and letting his arm fall to the side, the young man rubs his forehead. “Oh dear...I never expected you to be a stupid one.”

“Hey!” Ryuko snaps. “Listen dude, just tell me what’s up since I’ve got shit to deliver and then a bus to catch back home. If ya can’t tell me, I’m gonna leave your creepy ass behind.”

“Creepy...” He twitches at that one. Narrowing his gaze, Ryuko feels a chill run down her spine. “ _Fine_. If I have to spell it out to you then I will. My name is Akechi Goro...I’m the wolf that watches this forest and to go through you must pay me or leave.”

Ryuko stares at the young man watching him place a hand on his hip clearly proud of himself, before she breaks out into a laugh. He twitches at this, but he waits for her to finish, never moving an inch outside of crossing his arms. Finally Ryuko wipes her eyes and shakes her head in disbelief.

“Wait, wait, _you’re_ the big bad wolf Mishima was freaking out about?” Ryuko snorts at this as she covers her mouth. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“So vulgar...” He hisses as he starts to tap his foot. “Yes, I am a wolf...why are you laughing?”

“I dunno, I guess I expected something furry and scary.” Ryuko replies with a shrug. “You on the other hand...”

She looks him up and down, taking in his slim form and pretty face.

“I could break you in half if I wanted too.” She says watching him sneer at her.

“You know...given your mouth I’m starting to wonder if you’re a woman at all.” Akechi rolls his eyes at her sharp hey. “Humans are honestly all the same. You act big and tough when you see me like this, but the moment I shift and show I can tear your throat out you’re terrified of me.”

“Yeah sure whatever dude.” Ryuko huffs at him. “Keep thinking that.”

“Oh I will, and I’m going to tell you exactly what you’re going to do now.” Smirking, Akechi let’s his eyes slide close. “First, I’ll have to shift into a wolf, to scary you. Then you will beg for me not to eat you, as they all do. Next...”

Akechi’s little speech starts to fade into background noise as Ryuko looks behind her. Seeing the coast is clear, and this guy clearly has his head up his ass she decides to make a break for it. Slowly she steps off the bridge, taking her time not to make any noise. The second her feet touch the dirt on the other side, Ryuko rushes off. She ignores the so called wolf’s yells to stop that come behind her, and pushes forward knowing she isn’t to far from the village.

* * *

“That bitch!”

Akechi glares at the red dot that disappears farther down the trail, growling as he stomps his foot down. His anger is only made worse by loud laughter erupting from the large oak tree next to the bridge. Glaring up into it’s branches he’s not surprised to see the familiar figure of the village inn’s cat. The tall young man lazily relaxes up in the tree branches, and was clearly enjoying the whole scene play out before him.

“Keep laughing like that Kaito-kun and I will not hesitate to eat you.” Akechi warns and he grips his hands into fists.

Kaito snickers to himself as he leans against the tree, wiping away a tear. “I’m sorry Akechi, but you gotta admit...she got you pretty good.”

“I wouldn’t say she got me...just was lucky I wasn’t paying attention.” Akechi growls at him. “You better stay up in that tree...I’m feeling particularly peckish at the moment.”

“Oooh so scary!” Kaito jokes as he moves, letting his legs dangle off the tree branch. “I don’t know why you’re so mad at me, when you’re the one who went and closed his eyes during his stupid speech.”

Akechi sighs as he rubs his forehead, feeling a particularly harsh headache come on. Part of him knows the cat’s not wrong, but given how his whole thing previously worked on the last few delivery boys the first time they came through...Akechi expected it to work on the new girl. Besides, given how small she was he didn’t exactly expect her to be that brave. Fast on her feet? Yes, but other than that…

“Don’t you have mice to go hunt or humans to kiss up too?” Akechi asks shooting a glare up at Kaito.

“Mmm I do, but to be honest watching you fail to intimidate the new delivery girl was worth interrupting my usual schedule.” Kaito smirks down at him kicking his legs slowly. “So...what are you gonna do the next time she comes? Lick her to death.”

“Shut your mouth!” Akechi snarls at him, showing his sharp fangs. “Leave now cat...I’m in no mood for your games.”

Kaito stands up on his tree branch and stretches his arms out above his head. “So grumpy...But I am going. Like you said, I’ve got mice to catch, and humans to love. I’ll tell Futaba you said hi for you, as I always do.”

Akechi ignores his words as he looses himself in his thoughts, trying to figure out how to deal with this new girl next time. He gnaws at his lip, growling ever so softly under his breath as his anger and annoyance courses through him. Being polite and quiet didn’t do anything for her...he’s going to have to be rougher.

He pauses as a plan runs across his mind and he cups his chin. A slow smirk spreads across his lips as he realizes...yes. That is the perfect way to handle this new delivery girl.

* * *

“Hello? I’ve got a delivery for Sakura Sojiro?”

Ryuko pokes her head into the small inn, package in hand. After ditching the so called wolf, she arrived in the village pretty fast. It didn’t take her long to find the right address for the delivery, but is a bit surprised to see such a small spot. When she read Inn, she thought big thing, not a slightly large converted house. She hadn’t expected there to be a place like this in the small village where tourism is the main draw, but she has to admit it is a nice place.

The thick warm smell of coffee hits her first as she properly steps inside. There is another smell, spicier but lighter than the coffee but she can’t quite put her finger on it. The front of the inn is a restaurant of sorts, with booths and tables set up along with a bar at the far end. Next to that she can see a set of stairs, probably leading up to the rooms where customers stay.

Behind the bar stands an older man, smoking a cigarette who looks up when she enters. Quietly Ryuko pulls her hood down, shaking her head a bit to let her hair fall naturally before putting a smile on her lips.

“Hi there, you must be the new delivery girl Iwai called me about.” The man behind the counter puts out his cigarette before leaning forward. He smiles at her and motions for her to come closer. “I’m Sakura Sojiro, glad to see you made it here in one piece.”

“Awesome.” Ryuko grins as she comes up, placing the small square package on the table. She pulls out her own clipboard from her bag and holds it out to him. “I’m Sakamoto Ryuko, I just need you to sign for your package and we’ll be good to go.”

“Not every day we see a girl working for the Red Hoods. Are you new?” Sojiro asks as he takes the clipboard, signing it before holding it out to her.

Ryuko twitches at the suggestion, thinking of the other person who’d been surprised to see her that day, but can tell he means well. Nodding her head, she takes her clipboard back, slipping it into her bag.

“Mmm yeah, I’m kinda new. They’ve had me stick mostly to the city so this is the first time I’ve been sent out here. It’s a nice little village ya got here.” Ryuko says with a smile. “I kind of like how quiet it is.”

“It’s a nice place to live despite being so secluded. I take it you went through the woods right? You didn’t have to much trouble...did you?” Sojiro asks, as he slides the package closer to himself. His tone is worried, but clearly hinting at knowing about Akechi.

“You talking about that wolf guy?” Ryuko asks with a grin. When he nods she can’t help the little snicker that escapes. “Yeah I had zero problem with that loser. Didn’t even have to pay that stupid toll of his.”

Sojiro’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as he proceeds looks her up and down. “I see...well how did you get away from him?”

“I ran. He started talking some shit so I just left.” She shrugs, wondering what the big deal is. Pausing Ryuko checks her watch and sighs at the time. “Anyways, can I use your phone real quick? I gotta call my supervisor and let him know I made it here.”

“Yeah, the pay phone’s right over there.” Sojiro points to the yellow pay phone sitting just down the counter which Ryuko rushes to. “You must be pretty fast to get past Akechi...”

“Hm? You know him?” Ryuko asks as she picks up the phone. She digs through her pockets, finding some change which is thankfully enough for her call.

“He comes in every so often.” Sojiro says with a nod. “To be honest, you’re the first person who’s gotten pass him since he set up shop in the woods.”

Ryuko brightens up at Sojiro’s words and grins, feeling a bit of pride swell up inside of her. “Sweet, can’t wait to win again then.”

Briefly she wonders what kind of wolf comes in to an inn and eats here but decides not to worry to much. There was something off about the guy, so she’s pretty sure he wasn’t lying when he said he was a wolf and she has heard shapeshifters living among humans. He’s probably one of those but has a weird thing for being creepy around bridges, either way Ryuko got pass him and that’s what’s important.

She quickly calls Mishima, letting him know that she made it to the Inn and made the delivery alright. He asks about the whole wolf thing, making her sigh.

“Listen I’ll tell you about it in the morning.” Ryuko says with a yawn, deciding she’ll tell Mishima about everything in the morning. “I gotta get going since I have to catch the bus back.”

“I know, you be careful heading home then. And I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mishima says, before making a weird noise in the back of his throat. Ryuko tries not to groan at it, knowing that’s his worried noise and let’s the question come. “Are you sure you didn’t do anything stupid on that bridge Ryuko-kun?"

“I swear I’ll tell you tomorrow okay?” Ryuko knows if she told him tonight she’s pretty sure he wouldn't sleep at all. It’s better to let him be in denial than keep him up all night. “So I’ll see you tomorrow Mishima. I gotta get going or I’ll miss the bus dude. So good night!”

Before her survivor can get another word in she hangs up the phone and yawns, rubbing at her eyes a bit.

Sleepily she looks up towards the Inn’s stairway and blinks when she notices a girl with long orange hair staring down at her. She’s crouched down, peering at the delivery girl through the banister with large eyes behind thick glasses. Ryuko waves back at her a little, smiling a bit and figures she must be a customer or something. She doesn’t look that much younger than herself after all, so maybe she’s Sojiro’s daughter?

However the girl stiffens and proceeds to crawl away on her hands and knees, making Ryuko’s skin shiver a little bit at the sight.

‘ _That was creepy.’_ Ryuko thinks as she let’s her arm drop to her side. _‘_ _Weird kid...’_

“So, what do I owe you for a tip?” Sojiro asks bringing her attention back to him.

“Hm? Ahh...you don’t really owe me anything really.” Ryuko says with a smile. “Most people don’t give tips.”

“Most people are jerks but I can’t do that to you. You ran all the way out here, the most I can do is give you a tip.” Sojiro smiles at her, shaking his head.

“Mmm...well then..” Ryuko looks around and spies a fruit bowl, filled with all kinds that appears to be fresh. She takes a red apple and smiles at him as she holds it up. “I’ll take this for my tip!”

Sojiro laughs a bit crossing his arms. “Are you sure?”

“Yep!” Ryuko takes a bite out of the fruit, enjoying the tastes. “You have a nice night Chief, and it was nice meeting you!”

Sojiro arches an eyebrow at the nickname and but his smile has yet to fade. “It was nice meeting you too Ryuko-chan. Take care.”

“Will do!”

With one last wave Ryuko heads outside and towards the bus stop. Despite the odd little time with the weirdo wolf, she can’t help but think today was a pretty good one in the end. A part of her is looking forward to coming back as well, even if she has to out run Akechi again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahah I have no fucking clue what the hell this is to be completely honest. I wrote this within a day after finishing a scene for Champagne. So like...i honestly don't know what to say about it. It's a weird little Au that's been rolling around in my head for a while, and my brain decided to just...vomit it out. Gross I know but honestly i'm not going to shoot myself in the foot by holding back.
> 
> The world is...weird. I'm not sure about the rules or whatever, I just started throwing out stuff as I wrote it. I've got a vague idea going on of things, but it's nothing really to solid. For now here's the first chapter of this weird thing. I hope you guys enjoy, and leave a comment to tell me what you think! I'm honestly super curious about everyone's reaction to this to be completely honest.


	2. Chapter 2

“Sakamoto, Mishima I wanna talk to you both in my office.”

Seeing her boss poke his head out of his door, and tilt it back isn’t to uncommon for Ryuko. She’s not a troublemaker...well sort of. For the most part he calls her in for new jobs, or just to check on her randomly as he does for everyone. Iwai Munehisa acts like a tough guy, and probably once was, but in the end he’s got a soft spot for his employees. Especially ones close to his son’s age like Mishima and Ryuko.

Mishima looks at Ryuko suspiciously, who shrugs in response, just as confused as he is.

“Don’t look at me.” She says slipping her hands into her hoodie’s pockets. “I dunno what he wants.”

“You did something, didn’t you?” Mishima says with a suspicious glare. “What did you do with the wolf Ryuko-kun?”

“I didn’t do nuthin’ Ryuko huffs pouting as she walks towards the office with her supervisor.

She originally planned to tell Mishima about running away and keeping the toll this morning, but after him worriedly asking her she decided against it again. Being her supervisor along with a few other runners, he’s got a lot on his plate. He doesn’t need to worry about her out running a wolf as easily as she did.

Mishima would have a panic attack.

Once they’re in the office, Mishima closes the door behind him and moves to stand next to Ryuko in front of Iwai’s desk. The older man looks them up and down, paying particular close attention to Ryuko before smirking.

“So I heard from Sakura you ran past Akechi yesterday.” Iwai says with ease, leaning back in his chair. “That’s never happened before.

Ryuko blinks and swallows thickly, wondering suddenly wondering if she’s in trouble. However she is quickly distracted by the familiar weird noise Mishima makes as his jaw drops to the floor.

“ _You what_!?” He hisses, hugging his clipboard. “Sir I _swear_ , I told her to pay that toll and not to mess with him!! Ryuko-kun why didn’t you pay the wolf!?”

Ryuko leans away from his yell, wincing at the loud and sharp tone in his voice. “Because he was being a creepy ass! He started in on this stupid speech or something, and I noticed I had a clear path to get out of there so I took it! Which reminds me.”

She digs through her bag taking the pouch of coins out, and drops it on Iwai’s desk. Mishima makes another little surprised squeak as his entire body starts to shake. “Here, I was going to give it to you earlier sir, but you were busy. Sorry it took so long.”

Iwai looks at the pouch, picking it up and opening it to see that everything is still in side. He looks between a calm Ryuko, and a panicking Mishima as a slow smile spreads across his lips. The older man drops the pouch back on the desks and taps the wood next to it.

“Here, keep it. Think of it as a bonus.” Iwai says with a shrug. “You honestly deserve it for getting past him.”

“Sweet!”

Ryuko doesn't hesitate to swipe up the pouch, and looks through it, deciding she’ll save it up to help pay for rent. It probably isn’t that much, but she likes to be careful. Her supervisor is still hugging his clip board to his chest as he looks between his boss and her while she slips her bonus into her bag.

“Sir, are you sure this is okay?” Mishima asks with a nervous little gulp. “I mean...she kind of just dodge paying someone so like...”

“It’s fine Mishima. I talked to Akechi about it last night and while he was pissed, it wasn’t at the company.” He looks at Ryuko who puffs out her chest proudly, making him roll his eyes. “Either way, if you want to keep working the route to Yongen you’re more than welcome. Akechi says he wouldn’t mind chasing you down next time.”

Ryuko tilts her head at the offer and decides to think it over a bit. Humming to herself as she slips her hands into her pockets, she thinks about Akechi. Whatever system he has set up with Iwai is personal from the sounds of it, and she’s kind of glad he wasn’t mad at her boss for her actions. She’d hate for Iwai to be in trouble just because she was an ass, and probably would have gotten fired now that she thinks about it.

It’s a bit weird, but it had been _fun_ to run away from Akechi the other day. Even though he didn’t give chase, it gave her a bit of an adrenaline rush to get away from the big bad wolf. Add on to that Akechi now knows talking down to her isn’t intimidating and isn’t going to work. He’s going to try something else, and Ryuko can’t help but be curious about what a challenge that would be.

It’s far to tempting to not get another win against Akechi, and it would be fun to rub it in his face...

Ryuko smiles a bit as she nods, easily coming to that particular answer. “Yeah I’ll take the route. It’ll be fun to win again and see his face after it.”

Iwai stares at her, before snorting and shrugging his shoulders. “Alright then, if that’s how you want it that works for me. I’ll let Akechi and Sakura know you’re taking over the route.”

“Awesome!”

“Oh my god...”

Mishima groans as he lets his head fall back and whines as he looks down at his boss. Their eyes catch and despite the silence she can tell her supervisor is just begging their boss to change his mind. He’s met with a stern glare which makes Mishima hold up his clipboard to his face and groan into it. Iwai waves his hand at the two who take the hint it’s time to leave.

“Alright, get back to work you two. Mishima will let you know when your next delivery there comes up, but I doubt it’ll be this week.” Iwai says as he leans back into his chair. “So keep up the good work, and don’t slack off.”

“Yes sir!”

“Yes sir...”

Mishima sighs as he turns and leaves with Ryuko, his head hanging low. All the while the young woman finds herself wondering what connection her boss has to the wolf, and the Inn owner. It’s a bit odd after all that he knows both and in turn they know each other, so something must be up. On the other hand... it’s really none of her business.

Who knows what went down in the years before she was hired. It’s better for her to keep her nose out of it and focus on her work since with Iwai there is no telling what kind of skeletons are hiding in his closet. Besides, Ryuko’s looking forward to her next encounter with Akechi more than anything else.

She’s going to win again, that much she’s certain of.

* * *

 “Uuuugh today’s been so crazy...”

Ryuko hums in agreement as her co-worker Inori Junpei flops down into a chair next to her. She’s taken up most of the couch, with her legs stretched out and a magazine in hand. The chair next to the couch is a padded type, reminding her of some sort of chair in a doctor’s office. She can see why he’d take that over the hard plastic ones scattered around the room. The older man groans and he stretches out his arms above his head, only to cross them with a yawn.

“Dunno how you can be tired man.” Ryuko says sparing him a glance. “You have a car, I run around on foot all day and I’ve got more energy than you do.”

“That’s because I’m an actual human and not some monkey.” Junpei grins at her, earning himself an eye roll from the young woman. “Just kidding, nah I’ve just had a crazy day. First it was trying to find a damn place, and then delivering some stuff to this one lady was a nightmare...”

Ryuko half listens to Junpei, giving him a nod from time to time since she’s been there and done that herself. He’s a few years older than herself, and has been at the company for a long time though seems happy to stay at the delivery level. He probably could have been her supervisor in place of Mishima, but for whatever reason Junpei didn’t take the job.

Despite his age, he tends to treat her on the same level joking and goofing off with her when he can. Junpei’s a pretty cool dude in her book, but Ryuko’s a bit distracted at the moment. Thinking about many things...mostly of when she’s going to be heading back to Yongen.

Or to be more exact, when she can beat that wolf again.

It’s been in the back of her mind this past week, quietly wondering and waiting for when she’ll get that challenge again. Part of her really hopes it’s soon since things have been a little boring around here…

“So by the time I get her stupid package to the door, her dumb dog is like freaking nipping at my ankles. I’m tryin’ not to yell and hurt the damn thing you know? And she’s bitching at me...” Junpei pauses and looks over at Ryuko, noticing her far off stare. Reaching out he snaps his fingers in front of her face, trying to get her attention. “Yo, Ryu-tan you still here? Or are you in outer space?”

Ryuko jumps a bit when she hears the noise and sees his fingers, gaining her attention back quickly. He gives her a bit of a curious look, which she grins sheepishly at.

“Yeah, sorry dude I was just thinking about shit.” Ryuko says shrugging her shoulders, closing her magazine.

“Must be pretty serious to get you that distracted.” Junpei smiles at her reaching out to rustle her hair. “Everything going okay with work? You ain’t running yourself into the ground are ya?”

Before Ryuko can say another word, there’s a knock at the door making the two turn their attention to it. Mishima pokes his head in, looking like he’s going to regret his next words.

“Ryuko-kun...I’ve got one last delivery for you to run.” He says with a sigh.

Despite his look Ryuko jumps up from the couch, running over to the table to grab her bag. Junpei watches her go to the fridge to open it and take out a head of lettuce in a plastic bag. Happily she shoves it into her bag, before rushing over to Mishima with her hands outstretched, bouncing every so slightly with excitement.

“Uhh...what’s going on here?” Junpei asks as he looks between the two. “You okay Mishima?”

“No...Ryuko-kun’s going to give me an ulcer with how much she makes me worry.” Mishima glares at Ryuko as he hands her the package, followed by the pouch of coins. “Can you at least be a bit more serious about this, please?”

“Dude I am serious about this! Serious about kicking his ass again.” Ryuko happily snickers to herself as she slips the package into her bag. “Just you watch, I’ll come back with more cash and not a scratch on me!”

“...what’s with the lettuce?” Junpei says as he gains their attention.

“It’s for the ducks..” Ryuko says plainly despite the stares she gets from the two men. “Anyways, I better get going so I can’t talk. I’ll see you two tomorrow!”

With one last wave at the two, she disappears out the door leaving a groaning Mishima and a confused Junpei behind. Looking up at the young supervisor, he watches him hug his clipboard to his like a teddy bear.

“Dude...What the hell was that about?” Junpei asks scratching at his chin.

“The reason why I’ll die early.” Mishima says with a soft whine.

* * *

 A wide grin spreads across Ryuko’s lips a she approaches the large cobblestone bridge from last week. She picks up her pace, and peers over the edge as she did a week ago and listens. Just as before the sound of the flowing river is soon joined by the soft splashes of the ducks below the bridge. An odd bit of excitement rushes through her as she watches them paddle about in the water, happy to see them still there.

“Awesome.” Ryuko quickly takes out her head of lettuce, pulling it out of the plastic bag she stored it.

Carefully she rips off pieces of the vegetable, throwing it up ahead of the river’s current to watch it flow down towards the bridge. It takes a bit but a few ducks start to float out, nibbling at the leaf. The crunching noise they make makes her eyes sparkle as she listens to them. She adds a few more pieces, hearing them quack and eat the treat together.

“So freaking cute...” Ryuko whines as she watches them with her eyes shinning.

So far things have been going fairly well. She hasn’t seen a sign of the annoying wolf she met the last time, and the air in the forest hasn’t changed a bit. Everything is calm and welcoming, making her relax ever so slightly. The ducks are happy to distract her as well, crunching up the lettuce, making her smile. Ryuko’s so glad she decided to take this job, realizing she’s going to get to watch them every time she comes by.

This totally makes the job worth it.

“Hmm, I see that you brought the lettuce for the ducks. I’m surprised you listened to me.”

The cool calm voice that floats from her right makes Ryuko tense, instantly recognizing it. Looking to her side, she isn’t to surprised to see Akechi leaning his back against the bridge. Despite the pleasant smile on his lips she can tell it’s fake with the annoyed gleam in his eyes as he looks down at her. Ryuko narrows her own at him as his smile turns into a smirk, happy to see he’s gotten to her.

“Ugh...it’s you again.” Ryuko groans as she looks back at the ducks. She tears another leaf of lettuce and throws it to the ducks, kind of sad that it only cheers her up a little bit. “Is it normal for wolves to stalk the shit out of bridges or something, or are you just special?”

“I see that mouth of yours is normal for you.” Akechi rolls his eyes as the girl tries to focus on the animals below. “Iwai-san mentioned you were a bit of an odd girl. To tell the truth, I’m not sure if you’re brave or just stupid.”

Ryuko snorts at that as she shrugs her shoulders. “Dude, I just don’t buy into this big bad wolf bullshit you are trying to pull on me. What do you want me to do? Cower before you and cry so you won’t eat me?”

“That’s the normal reaction but...” Akechi pauses as he thinks, his hand coming to hold his chin. “I do have to admit, I find your attitude a bit on the charming side. It’s always _fun_ to break a human’s bravery and make them beg me not to kill them.”

Ryuko looks up from her duck feeding to stare into his eyes, and feels a bit of a chill run down her spine. She swallow thickly and pushes herself up and away from the bridge or more exactly, away from Akechi. She needs some space between her and this guy fast, but he’s standing in the way of her route. On the other hand...

He’s...he’s actually killed people.

She can just tell with the way his eyes gleam coldly that he’s actually killed people before. Ryuko’s seen it a few times, once with a few guys who tried to jump her during a delivery, and the other...well she’s seen it in her boss’s eyes during that event when he came to help. She doesn’t know much about Iwai, just some rumors about him being an ex-gangster or something. And to be honest, despite the relaxed but hard air he puts on, she believes it.

All it took was one glare, and a sharp yell from him to get the guys who tried to jump her to run off. Looking into his after that moment, she saw the same gleam Akechi has, but of instead of looking ice cold...Iwai’s looked tired. She’s always wondered about Iwai’s past since then, but never asked mainly becaues he gives her the same respect. While Ryuko doesn’t have a harsh past like his, or maybe Akechi’s, she’s got some shit that she hopes will never come back to haunt her.

Which leads her to trying to figure out how to deal with Akechi. The sharp, and inhuman way he peers down at her makes her skin crawl. He’s killed multiple people, and clearly isn’t afraid to do it again. But this is another scare tactic, she can just feel it in the pit of her stomach.

He may have killed people, but right now he’s just trying to frighten her away.

Swallowing thickly she quickly stands up straight and stares straight back into his eyes. “I’d like to see you try.”

Akechi’s right eye twitches at her words as he pushes himself away from the bridge’s railing. The smile that spreads across his lips is one that she silently wishes was not directed towards her. It pushes past the fake ones he’s shown her before, and goes straight into the twisted category.

He comes closer, holding his arms behind his back as he chuckles softly. Slowly he starts to circle around her like the predator he claims to be.

“You’re one of _those_ aren’t you? The girl who thinks she’s invincible and can take care of herself without a man?” He asks, his voice is light but has an edge to it. “But in reality you are weak, often putting up a strong front and thinking that will protect you. But when push comes to shove you _always_ break.”

“And are you one of those creepy assholes who vaguely threatens women to freak them out, and gets a weird boner out of it?” Ryuko offers slipping her hand into her hoodie’s pockets, wrapping around her switch blade. “Because I’ve dealt with one before, and you are giving off some seriously similar vibes.”

“Haha... **no**.” Akechi’s voice goes dead serious as he continues to circle around her, his smile dropping as the cold gaze takes over. “Does your mind always go to such vulgar places or am I just special.”

“You’re special alright.” Ryuko rolls her eyes with a sigh. “Look can we speed this up? I’ve got shit to deliver and then a bus to catch, I really have no time to be screwing around with you.”

“Hmm, pay my toll and I’ll freely let you leave. If not...this time I won’t let you run away.”

Ryuko tenses as he stops behind her, so close she can feel his body heat hitting her back. She grips her switch blade tighter, thumb edging towards the button and ready to pull it out. It gets hard to breath as she feels herself start to panic, all the while Akechi’s hands slowly start to close around her neck. Part of her wonders if this is how a rabbit feels before a wolf snaps it’s neck. Digging it’s sharp teeth into it’s warm flesh…

With a sharp inhale, Ryuko whips around with her knife drawn and ready to stab him.

Only to find Akechi is no longer behind her.

Swallowing, and quickly turning back around she sees him standing in front of her now. His hand outstretched and waiting for his toll and in her face. He smiles pleasantly at her, his head tilting to the side as his other hand rests on his hip.

“Now...can you please pay your toll? I’ll be nice and forget the last time.” He says the soft cheer back in his voice.

Licking her lips and feeling her heart still beating inside her chest painfully hard, Ryuko forces a laugh. She puts her knife away slowly, holding up her hands to show no weapon.

“Okay that’s fine with me dude. You’ve proved to me that you are serious...I’ll pay your stupid toll or whatever.” She says nervously, letting her arms drop down to her side.

Akechi brightens up instantly, looking more like a boy who was promised some candy than a creep. “Really?”

“Nope!!”

Ryuko rushes past him, taking the chance to run before things get really serious. She hears Akechi growl behind her, and heavy footsteps following. In a few short moments he’s right behind her, easily keeping up. Despite her speed he’s just as fast, maybe even faster than herself as she barely dodges his hand shooting out to grab her hood. A bit of panic starts to rise as Ryuko wishes she had something she could throw at his face to slow him down...wait...she does!!

She totally forgot about he stupid lettuce head in her hand, never bothering to put it away before!

With a bit of a yell she pushes herself faster, gaining a bit of of distance between herself and Akechi. She twists, and throws the vegetable straight at his head not bothering to double check to make sure she hit him. The loud grunt and the thump that follows is enough to reassure she did!

Ryuko laughs as she flips him off, and happily continues to run off towards the village, proud that she won a second time. Especially with how close it had been...

* * *

 Sitting on the ground with lettuce all around him Akechi quickly decides he’s going to _destroy_ that girl the next time.

“Laugh all you want!!” He yells, knowing she can hear. “You will not escape next time!!”

“ **Suck a dick** _!!”_

Twitching at the response and pushing himself up to his feet, Akechi takes a moment to check his surroundings. He let’s out a sigh of relief to see that Kaito is nowhere in sight, knowing the cat probably would have died from laughing.

Akechi brushes himself off, letting the pieces of the vegetable drop to the ground before staring down at it. Sneering he stomps his foot on it and digs it into the dirt, feeling just a little bit of relief come.

With that done, he takes time to fix his appearance. Starting with brushing off the remaining lettuces leaves from his hair, and pulling a bit at his coat and gloves before he’s happy. All the while his mind starts to piece together another plan that is sure to work.

He is not going to lose again…

* * *

 Ryuko pants heavily as she jogs to a stop in front of the Lablanc inn. Leaning over and breathing deeply she tries to get control of her breathing, wiping away the sweat from her brow as excitement rushes through. She punches the air with a laugh, feeling better than ever despite the exhaustion eating at her.

She won! _A_ _gain_!! And this time she got to hit him!

Sure he was creepy as fuck, but still Ryuko was able to screw Akechi over once more and get to the inn without paying any stupid toll. She did awesome today and that calls for a treat on the way home. Maybe she’ll stop and get some ice cream before she heads home…

Deciding that’s a nice treat, Ryuko opens the Inn sticking her head through the crack to see Sojiro at the counter. When he sees her he smiles at her, waving her in before he puts out his cigarette. Grinning, she slips inside and closes the door behind her gently.

A soft noise distracts her unlike last time, making her look to the window next to the door. Laying there on a padded bench under the setting sun is a young man with messy black hair. Despite the odd place to sleep, this is not what draws most of her attention. It’s the twitching black cat ears poking out of his long locks that look far to real to be fake. A few seconds later she notices he has a cat tail too that lays lazily against his body, moving ever so slightly.

“You can ignore Kaito, he’s just our cat.” Sojiro’s deep voice brings her out of her staring, making her focus back on him.

“O-oh...s-sorry about the staring then.” Ryuko says as she walks up to the counter. She’s never seen a cat like that before, but catches on quickly as to what he is. “I’ve just never seen a shape shifting cat before, or at least one with their ears out.”

“He’s a bit of a lazy one so he doesn’t hide them.” Sojiro says with a smile, peering over Ryuko to stare at said cat. “Though to be honest he’s lazy in just about everything he does.”

“I’m a cat, what do you want me to do?”

The sudden voice behind her makes Ryuko jump and look up to see the now awake cat looking down at her. He smiles at her as his gray cat eyes take her in, while his ears perk up happily. Despite being so close, Ryuko finds she’s not exactly uncomfortable with him. He’s super warm, much like a normal cat just kind of bigger...and more human-y than any she’s met. It’s clear this Kaito is curious about her as he observes and tilts his head, but seems happy.

“Maybe help around more than just sleeping?” Sojiro points out with a roll of his eyes. “Anyways, you have a package for me right Ryuko-chan?”

“Ahhh...oh yeah I do!” Ryuko snaps out of her daze and pulls out the package from her bag, setting it gently on the counter in front of the older man followed by her clipboard. “Like before just sign here and we’re all set!”

As Sojiro signs for his package, Ryuko feels her hood being pulled down gently. This is soon followed by the cat sniffing her lightly before. Unsure of what to do, she stays still letting him smell her. This behavior is only made stranger when Kaito wraps his arms around her neck after a few seconds. She’s a bit surprised by his forwardness, but decides to write it off as, well...being a cat.

He doesn't feel like he’s trying to be creepy like a human would. Just affectionate, kind of like when a normal cat will jump up in your arms to be held. Instead of that he’s the one doing the holding.

“You smell nice.” He purrs happily in her ear, making her wonder how he can do that. Purring is a vocal cord thing, and he’s also talking…

“Are you sure?” She snorts at his little nod and shrugs her shoulders. “Okay, I thought I smelled like sweat so whatever floats your boat dude.”

“Mmm you do smell like that, but you’ve also got a nice smell too. Kinda like vanilla with cinnamon.” Kaito bumps head against her gently, really driving home he isn’t human despite his appearance. “You’re a good person.”

“I guess? You’re kind of weird you know that?” She points out with a shrug.

“Not as weird as a human being okay with me hanging on them.” Kaito says with grin. “So, how did you get away from Akechi today?”

“You know him?” Ryuko asks giving him a glance.

“We’re old friends...or at least I considering him my friend. I don’t know what he thinks of me to be honest.” Kaito says with a shrug.

“Huh...well I ran away today.” She says thinking back to things. “And I threw a head of lettuce at his face to slow him down though, so that was extra fun.”

Kaito’s purring comes to a stop as he pulls a bit back, and turn her around to look her in the eyes. His eyebrows are up in surprise as a slow mischievous smile spreads across his lips. The cat starts to laugh letting Ryuko go to hold his stomach as she proudly stands there with her hands on her hips.

“You...you hit him with a head of lettuce!?” Kaito asks between his snickers. “Oh...oh my god...you have a death wish or you’re just...amazing! I can’t decide which to be honest!!”

“I’ll take amazing if I do say so myself.” Ryuko says with a lopsided grin. “Are you going to rub this in his face later?”

“ _Yes_!” Kaito nods his head excitedly. “I mean I’ll give him a few hours to chill out but...I’m going to totally make fun of him non stop for getting hit in the face with a vegetable. I don’t even care why you had lettuce, that is just the best thing I’ve heard in a long time!”

“I wanted to feed the ducks.” Ryuko says with a shrug. “That weirdo suggested it was better than bread, so it’s his own fault.”

Kaito burst out laughing again at that as Ryuko turns back to the counter to face Sojiro. He says a soft thanks as he hands her the clipboard, and she nods her head back at him. She heads over to the phone, digging through her pockets for extra change. Ryuko has been planning on getting a new cellphone since dropping and breaking her old one the first day. At the same time however she’s been so busy with work there hasn’t been any time to get a phone in general. It’s not the safest thing to do but still.

“I’ve got this.” Kaito says as he pays for her phone call. “Think of it as pay back for giving me the best thing ever to hold over Akechi’s head.”

“For a friend, you sure do like to see him mess up.” Ryuko says as she dials Mishima’s phone number.

“I like Akechi a lot, but he’s an ass.” Kaito says leaning against the counter. “Sometimes, seeing someone mess with his perfect little image is fun.”

“Nice.” Ryuko nods her head in agreement.

“I hate you.” Is the first words she hears from Mishima when he answers. “You give me stomach problems you know?”

“Yeah yeah whine all you want but I’m not going to change.” Ryuko rolls her eyes. “I won again by the way.”

She hears Mishima swear under his breath before giving a long sigh. “Great! Just great...fine whatever, I’m glad you made it to the inn safe and sound. Be careful heading home I guess...not that you’ll listen.”

“Dude you’re going to make me roll my eyes so hard it’s going to tear something. But thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Ryuko says with a bit of a yawn. “You be careful too.”

“I will...bye.”

After saying her own short goodbye and hanging up the phone she notices Kaito’s staring at her, chin in hand.

“Sakamoto Ryuko right?” He asks before he stands up straight. “Sojiro told me your name the last time you came. You can just call me Kaito if you want.”

“Cool, just call me Ryuko if you want.” She says with a shrug. “I’m cool with anything to be honest so don’t get to uptight.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kaito says as she crosses his arms. “Are you hungry? If you are dinner can be on the house too...”

“Nah I gotta get going to catch the last bus. I would love to stay but Akechi held me back way to long this time.” Ryuko says with a sigh. “If I didn’t go now I’d have to go back the same way and I’m pretty sure he’d eat me this time.”

“Oh yeah he totally would.” Kaito says in agreement. “Then maybe next time? Or how about the weekend?”

Kaito looks excited at the prospect of seeing Ryuko again, which makes her smile a bit awkwardly. “Sure dude, if I’m not busy I wouldn’t mind coming here. I’d like to take a look around here better to be honest.”

“Then I look forward to seeing you soon then.” Kaito says nodding his head.

“I’ll treat you to some of our curry next time you’re here too.” Sojiro adds behind his counter. “And some coffee to go along with it.”

“You guys sure are nice out here.” Ryuko mentions as she heads for the door. “Kind of weirding me out.”

“You’ve lived in the city for too long.” Kaito takes a seat on one of the bar stools slouching over just a bit. “I use to think the same thing until I came here.”

She’s a bit confused by his words, but decides not to press forward since she doesn’t have the time. It’s clear he once lived in the city, which makes her wonder why he left.

Shrugging that thought off and deciding he’s probably right about people being nice Ryuko waves at them.

“Guess I’ll see you guys another time then, or probably next week.” Ryuko says as she thinks about it. “Thanks for the phone call dude!”

“No problem. And see you later!”

Kaito and Sojiro both wave her off, watching her leave. Ryuko happily heads towards the bus stop, thinking about the fact she just made a new friend. She’s sort of looking forward to getting to know the weird cat now that she thinks about it as she takes a seat on the vehicle.

This just makes coming here more fun after all, and she can’t wait to beat Akechi one more time to top things off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. This one took longer thanks to starting a new job, so that means updates for everything will be slow. I'm working on Champagne as well at the moment, this fic is just easier and shorter. Especially since I don't have to double check things like my other fic. I'm really happy by the response i got to this weird one since to be honest I didn't expect to get anything lol. I had a lot of fun writing it and setting up a few more things. (like bringing in Junpei. He's my fav from p3 so i might be doing way more with him for sure). 
> 
> For those curious as to why I named the p5 protagonist Kaito it's more to do with the fact that outside of "Joker" he doesn't really have a name officially. I know the manga gave him Akira as a name, but considering the track record with Atlus choosing totally different official names for their protagonist (example Minato is the manga's name for the P3 protagonist while Makoto is the official name). So I'm waiting to see what they'll use with him. Until then I'm using the name I gave him which is Kaito, and kudos to those who can figure out that reference. I am a huge nerd for the phantom thief trope to be honest.
> 
> Also if you have any questions about things in this fic feel free to ask! I'll answer them to the bets of my abilities! 
> 
> But on to other things. Thanks again for the wonderful comments on the previous chapter. Since seriously, comments are the best thing ever, and really do help motivate me. So leave more below to tell me what you think of this chapter! Honestly they help out way more than a kudo even if they are just short "I liked this!" I love that kind of stuff to be honest and tells me way more than anything else. So please leave a comment!


	3. Chapter 3

It’s an absolutely beautiful day when Ryuko steps off the bus and into Yougen. The sun shines brightly above her, but isn’t to hot with a pleasant breeze pushing through the air. There’s not a cloud in the sky that says rain is going to come, making excitement rush through her as she heads towards the Lablanc Inn.

It’s the weekend and thankfully she doesn’t have any shifts to work this time around seeing as she did so last week. Red Hood likes to pride itself on being active during every day of the week, even Sunday which can make for a shitty weekend. Usually Mishima’s pretty good on being fair with who gets which weekend off, so Ryuko isn’t one to complain. Besides the extra hours help her pay the bills and makes things more than worth it.

‘ _And I’ve got just enough for some extra fun here.’_ Ryuko pushes the door of the Inn open as she thinks this. _‘Besides, maybe I can find a decent phone here. Iwai says there’s an electronic shop somewhere in town thanks to it being a tourist spot.’_

“Welcome to—Oh! It’s you Ryuko.”

Kaito’s voice reaches her ears as she takes a step inside, and surprises her when she sees him behind the counter. Sojiro is nowhere in sight, and instead the cat stands there with a green apron over his casual clothes. Just as before his cat ears perk up happily, and an excited glint shines in his eyes.

“Hey! I thought you didn’t work since you were a cat.” Ryuko says as she approaches the counter. She slides onto a bar stool with ease, leaning against the counter as the cat does the same.

“I do work around here when Sojiro needs it and today he ran out to get some supplies actually. What brings you out here? I doubt you’re working with your clothes.” Kaito says as he cups his chin.

“You’d be right about that.” Ryuko says with a nod. “I got the weekend off and had a bit of extra cash so I thought I'd come and see this place when I'm not rushing around.”

“Hmm I see, well then how about you start it off with a cup of coffee and when Sojiro comes back I can show you around town?” Kaito stands up a bit straight and heads towards where the coffee makers sit.

Before Ryuko can object he’s already made her a cup and set it in front of her smiling proudly. Nervously she looks down at it, feeling a bit guilty over never getting a taste for the stuff. She enjoys the smell sure, but coffee has always been way to bitter for her to drink, outside of the sugary stuff of course. Ryuko can also see that there is no sugar or cream anywhere in sight putting her in a more uncomfortable situation.

“You don’t like coffee do you?” Kaito asks with a tilt of his head.

Ryuko feels a bit bad as she nods. “Yeah to be honest I could never really get into the taste...but well you made me a cup so I’m going to drink it!”

Before Kaito can say anything else Ryuko starts to chug the hot drink, and instantly regrets her actions. Obviously it’s hot, and her whole mouth burns as she holds herself back from spitting it in Kaito’s face. It stings all the way down, making her wince with tears pricking at her eyes, with one rolling down her check. Then the bitter taste of the coffee she hates hits her burnt taste buds and Ryuko is left a whining mess.

“You doing okay there buddy?” Kaito asks crossing his arms, trying not to laugh.

“N-no...not doing okay at all...” Ryuko coughs. “But...it was good hot coffee?”

“Yeah it should be since it’s fresh. Luckily for you, I know a few healing spells so hold still you goof.” Kaito chuckles to himself as he shakes his head.

Gently he reaches out, his fingertips lightly brushing the skin of her neck. Kaito whispers a soft spell, slowly dragging his touch down her throat as a low light begins to glow. Ryuko’s throat tingles at first, slowly taking over the burning sensation until it’s it’s totally gone. When the cat takes his hand back, nothing hurts and Ryuko is left blinking. She’s completely healed and her eyes sparkle as she looks up at him.

“Whoaaaa...I’ve never actually seen real magic outside of our bags at work! That was super cool!” Ryuko says with a smile. “Thank you!”

“Well I couldn’t let you leave with second degree burns in your throat.” Kaito says with a shrug. “What was that all about?”

“I thought I could just work through the tastes, but I forgot the heat….it’s been a long time since I’ve had coffee.” Ryuko admits with a laugh.

“I noticed.”

From there Kaito serves her a soda, before being distracted by other customers. Silently sipping at her drink, she watches the cat work his way around the Inn. It’s clear with the way a few of the customers flirt with him and him returning the flirting that he’s been doing this for some time. They chat with him as he gets their orders, making sure to wink at some before going behind the counter to finish things.

Watching the cat work is fascinating, especially since it’s clear he’s got talent for working with coffee. Then again if he’s always here, then obviously he’d be good at what he does. For Ryuko it’s fun to watch his hands move and make the orders, focused on the task. It gives the Inn a calm air, one she’s never really experienced living in the city.

She could get use to this…

“Ahh Ryuko-chan, what brings you here on weekend?”

Blinking at the deep and calm voice, Ryuko is a bit surprised to see Sojiro. The older man smiles at her as he takes off his hat, setting it down on the table.

“Oh hey chief!

“She wanted to see the town and I offered to show her around. So with that said...” Ryuko looks to Kaito see him take off his green apron, hanging it on a hook in the back.

Placing his hands on the counter, Kaito vaults over it and lands on the other side with grace. He winks at Ryuko who notices Sojiro rolling his eyes despite his smile. The older man walks around and behind the counter like a normal person, grabbing his own apron.

“Running off after only working an hour...you really are a lazy cat.” Sojiro sighs. “What am I ever going to do with you?”

“Mmm love me like you already do?” Kaito says snickering at Sojiro little glare at him. He turns his attention back to Ryuko, his hands slipping into his pockets “C’mon, he’s got this covered so I’m free to do whatever.”

“When aren’t you free to do that...” the older man grumbles as he goes about, checking the coffee along with a few other things.

Kaito ignores him as he looks down at Ryuko hopefully who finds herself grinning as she stands up.

“That would be awesome! I bet you know all the town’s secrets.” Ryuko teases as she follows Kaito to the door.

Smirking in a way she imagines only a cat can, Kaito nods his head which is more than enough for Ryuko. Happily they head off into the town, the cat leading the way.

* * *

“Hey Kaito, do you know if there’s an electronic store around here?”

Ryuko can’t help the little smile that pops up on her face when she sees Kaito’s ears twitch in her direction. The cat sits on the stone wall above the bench where the delivery girl rest, and tilts his head thoughtfully. So far, there’s a lot more to this little village than what Ryuko originally thought. While not nearly as large or full as the city, she can see how people can live way out here and be happy. The relaxed, cheerful air is tempting, and makes her wonder how much it would be to rent a place out here. Only problem would be getting to her job…

“Yeah there’s a small one. What do you need?” Kaito says he licks at his ice cream, taking his time to enjoy it.

“Hmm a few weeks ago I dropped my phone and broke it.” Ryuko says with a sigh letting her head hang a bit. “I keep the stupid thing with me, but it’s absolutely useless.”

“Do you have your sim card?” Kaito asks smiling when he watches her yelp a bit at her green tea ice cream melting over her fingers.

She quickly catches the ice cream, pausing to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand before looking up at him. “Yeah, why?” Ryuko asks, curious as to what he’s got planned. She licks at her fingers more, trying to catch the sweet treat before it drips onto her pants.

“Because I can get you a cheaper and ten times better phone than what you’d get in a store.” Kaito nods his head at her when he sees her eyes widen. “Let’s finish our ice cream and I’ll take you to her.”

Ryuko wonders who “her” exactly is but doesn’t ask as she is soon distracted by her treat. Quickly, and with a small rush of brain freeze, she finishes the ice cream and it’s cone. Kaito soon follows, going slower for obvious reasons and motions for her to follow him through some alley ways. The small little passages remind her of her old neighborhood in the city when she was growing up.

It hadn’t been a great neighborhood, but it was the only one her mother could afford after leaving her drunk of a father. But it had worked out, and Ryuko turned out for the better. It too had little lines of laundry hung between the buildings just like this one. There’s a bit of trash here and there as well but not nearly as much as there in the city.

For the most part, it’s a pleasant little stroll through the secret ways only a cat would know.

To her surprise they come out right next to the Inn, just on the backside. Kaito keeps towards it and slips inside through a back door which Ryuko quickly follows, wondering where the hell this cat is taking her. As they pass by the front she can see it’s a bit busier than last time, so much more so that Sojiro doesn’t even notice them as they head up the stairs behind the counter. She’s not to surprised to find herself standing behind the railings where she saw that girl the first time came here a few weeks ago.

Briefly Ryuko wonders who that was again as Kaito turns down a hall, and comes to a stop all the way at the end. He’s knocking lightly at the door as she stands next to him, blinking at all the signs on the door.

KEEP OUT

CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION

NO ONE ALLOWED

Are the ones she notices the most, making her wonder who’s inside there. Kind of reminds her of what a moody teenager would put on their door. Not that she was any better as a teenager...just louder about wanting to be left alone.

“Hey Futaba, it’s me Kaito.”

For a moment it’s quiet, until finally the door slowly creaks open. From where Ryuko stands all she can see is glasses, glinting in the hall’s lights.

“Kaito...what do you want? You’re not alone.” The girl’s voice surprises Ryuko as she leans a bit to the right trying to see who’s inside. She sounds suspicious, and also maybe just a little bit afraid. Way younger than what the delivery girl imagined.

“Trust me you’ll like her.” Kaito says sliding his hands into his pockets. “She’s the one who threw lettuce at Akechi.”

“ _Really_?”

The door opens a bit more and let’s Ryuko get a better look at the girl behind it. She’s a bit surprised with this Futaba’s long red hair, and thick glasses. This does confirm for the delivery girl that this is the girl she saw the first time she came to the inn, and who crawled away. Her appearance is a bit odd, but she doesn’t look that weird to Ryuko now that she can get a better look at her.

Kaito steps back a bit so Futaba can see Ryuko a little better, and grins when she pushes her glasses up. She looks the delivery girl up and down with a curious, but doubtful stare.

“ _You’re_ the one who tricked Akechi twice?” Futaba asks, disbelief crystal clear in her voice.

Shifting a bit in her stance Ryuko puffs out her chest a bit as she places her hand son her hips. “Yep.”

“You do match the rant he went on the last time he came here.” Futaba says with a hum, looking weirdly excited. “But you’re smaller than I thought you would be.”

Ryuko deflates a bit, feeling a bit put down by that since she is only a few inches taller than Futaba. Her size never really got to her but hearing that does hit an odd spot that she isn’t to sure where it came from. Maybe it’s because Futaba is smaller than she is…

“Yeah well, height doesn’t matter when it comes to dodging that ass.” Ryuko huffs, crossing her arms.

“Clearly it doesn’t if you’ve done it twice.”

Finally Futaba opens the door a bit and steps out fully. She smiles nervously while pushing her glasses up one more time as she focuses on Ryuko. “Still, that is really freaking cool that you hit Akechi in the face. I didn’t even know that was possible!”

Ryuko can’t help the slight blush that comes to her cheeks as she scratches at her cheek. “Ahhh it’s not that hard. Dude’s just over confident in my opinion.”

“So, Futaba since you came out do you think it’d be cool if Ryuko bought one of your custom cellphones?” Kaito interrupts, bringing the attention back to him.

“Huh? Why would you want one of those?” Futaba asks tilting her head to the side.

“I broke my phone a few weeks ago.” Ryuko says with a sigh letting her head hang. “And Kaito over there said there was a cheaper place to get a better phone or something...right?”

“Yep.”

Futaba blinks at Ryuko and looks between her and Kaito who still has that sly smile on his face. A grin spreads across her lips as she motions for Ryuko to come a bit closer. Leaning down, she’s surprised when Futaba cups her hands around her ears.

“Yeah I’ve got some merchandise... _whatcha buyin’_?”

* * *

Futaba’s room is a surprising mess of wires, books, and paper all spread around mostly on the floor with a bit on her bed. In the far corner sits a large desk with three computer screens with towers, and even more wires of varying sizes. On the walls are a mix of random posters, and papers, along with some strange drawings making Ryuko really wonder about this girl. Kaito flops down on the bed, leaning back on his hands as he watches the two girls.

Futaba has moved past Ryuko who stands at the door still trying to take in all the weird, and wondering what exactly is going on. The small girl crawls up into her large chair and crouches in it grinning back at the others.

“Futaba’s a witch.” Kaito says gaining Ryuko’s attention.”So excuse the mess...and watch where you step.”

“A witch? Seriously?” Ryuko looks back to Futaba who’s turned in her chair and has started to type on her keyboards. She takes a moment to close the door behind her before stepping over a stack of paper carefully.

“More like a witch in training to be completely honest.” Futaba says leaning a bit in her seat. “I’m mostly self taught by using what my kaa-san left me.”

“Huh...that’s pretty cool.” Ryuko says as she let’s Kaito pull her to sit next to him on the bed. “So how does that tie in to phones and shit?”

“Heheheh, a lot actually. You see, kaa-san liked working with technology while also being a witch. For a long time she was tinkering with ways to get magic stuff working with technology a bit better than it already does.” Futaba explains as as she pushes herself away from her computer. Ryuko watches her stand and go to her closet, and throw it open. “So that’s where I got interested in technology. I’m more of a hacker first, and a witch second...ah-ha!”

Ryuko jumps when the girl pops up from the closet with a phone in hand. From there she goes back to her computer, hooking it up to the tower before she starts to crazily click and type all over. With an arched eyebrow Ryuko looks to Kaito who shrugs his shoulders.

The way Futaba talks about her mother makes the young woman pause, and wonder where she’s at...and who’s she’s really living with. Then again considering the way Kaito talks to her, and approaches things it’s clear she must live here. He’s way to comfortable with her for this not to be her home as much as it is his. Not to mention how messy and well lived in this room is...and that she knew Akechi.

“Futaba’s a genius when it comes to stuff like this. She’s basically customized the entire system we use here, and our phones.” Kaito explains with ease.

“You have a phone?” Ryuko asks snickering a bit. “What exactly does a cat do with a phone?”

“Whatever I want actually.” Kaito says with his little smirk.

Before Ryuko can really object, the cat yawns and stretches before he lays down on her lap. Blinking at the weight and how his ears twitch she hesitates to touch him. Despite his behavior he still looks like a human and it’s just...weird for her to pet someone who’s much larger than herself….but it’s so tempting! His long locks look soft and inviting…

After a moment of him not moving she feels herself break, and slowly starts to run her fingers through his hair. It’s as silky soft to the touch as she imagined, and his ears are a warm as she scratches lightly behind him. Kaito is soon purring, content to stay right where he’s at while Ryuko pays attention to him.

She isn’t to sure how much times passes but before she knows it, Kaito has wrapped his arms around her middle. His purring has stopped but it’s clear he’s in a deep actual sleep given his calm breathing. Ryuko feels her own eyelids start to droop at the weirdly soothing sound of Futaba’s work. Doesn’t help the cat on her lap is warm as ever and soon her head is dipping down.

She could honestly get use to this...

“Done!!”

Futaba’s shrill yell makes both Ryuko and Kaito jump, with him letting out a very cat like yelp. In a flash he’s up on his feet, looking ready to attack something with actual claws out. When he realizes nothing is wrong he calms down, shifting his shoulders and shaking his hands a bit. Ryuko can’t help but stare, feeling weird to see such a chill guy so on edge. He still looks uncomfortable as he rubs the back of his neck and sits down next to her once more.

Ryuko keeps her eyes on him for a little longer, but doesn’t say anything. Or really never has the chance to say anything with Futaba shoving a new phone into her face. Leaning back way from the object, she looks up from it to see the girl smiling proudly.

“Here ya go! A brand new phone, with built in security and all that good stuff.” Futaba happily let’s Ryuko take the phone and look it over, impressed by the girl’s work...or really she decides to believes her. She can’t really see what makes this phone so special but whatever, she isn’t about to say no to a better phone for cheap.

“You sure you want to give me this?” Ryuko asks turning the phone over. “I feel kind of bad not paying full price for all this work.”

“Nahh you get a discount because you hit Akechi in the face with lettuce. Now we can tease him forever over it and he can’t stop us.” Futaba snickers to herself. “Do you want me to put your sim card in there for you?”

“Uh, yeah sure.” Ryuko pulls out her old phone from her pocket and hands it over to the glasses wearing girl.

With ease, she easily opens the two phones and takes out the sim card only to place it into the new one. Which she happily hands over to Ryuko once she’s done who finds herself staring down at it with a dumbfounded look.

“Wait...this is my new phone?” Ryuko asks her eyes wide as she stares up into Futaba’s.

Grinning from ear to ear Futaba nods her head proudly. “You bet! It’s all set and ready for you to go. No one will ever be able to hack into this baby with the set up I’ve given it.”

“Woooow.” Ryuko’s eyes sparkle as she turns on the phone, watching the screen light up. “This is so freaking cool!!”

For a few minutes she plays around with it, seeing that everything is almost exactly like her old one. Except a few apps run a bit faster and it just feels like everything is smoother. Kaito leans back with a satisfied smile on his lips as he watches Ryuko fiddle with her phone happily. It’s clear she’s missed having the device, and is busily checking up on just about everything.

“Ugh, no phone for two months and my inbox is just full of shit.” She grumbles

“That sounds like hell.” Futaba says with wide eyes. “I don’t know how you survived so long without some form of internet access.”

“Ahh I did it but it wasn’t fun, anyways how much do I owe you?” Ryuko looks up at Futaba, as the witch tilts her head to the side with her finger pressed against her chin.

She looks thoughtful until a smile spreads across her lips. “How about... _nothin_ ’?”

Guilt instantly eats at Ryuko as she shakes her head. “Oooh no, there is no way I can take a phone like this for free, especially since we just met.”

“Mmm true, but I like you a lot Ryuko and considering you have been getting the upper hand on Akechi I almost feel like you need a reward.” Futaba smile turns mischievously as Kaito snorts next to the young woman on the bed.

“Still...” Ryuko bites at her lip as she looks at phone feeling that weird sense of guilt that comes with not paying for things. “There has to be something I can do. This phone is freakin’ sweet, and you worked pretty damn hard on it so like...yeah.”

“How about you come back next weekend and we can hang out more?”

Kaito’s calm voice breaks between the two girls as they turn their attention to him. Despite nothing coming from them, he can tell that they both are considering the idea as he brings his leg up to hug it, looking relaxed once more.

“Well...I think I have work next Saturday but I usually get Sunday’s off so I wouldn’t mind coming back out here. I had a ton of fun today, and it’s kind of a nice place to come to after being in the city my whole life.” Ryuko says with a bit of a laugh.

“There’s not much out here, so I don’t know why you’d like it better.” Futaba says as she crouches back into her chair. “I miss being able to go down to the electronics part of town and buy what I need. Now I have to have it all delivered to me and it’s such a pain.”

Ryuko blinks as she puts things together, quietly realizing she’s been delivering Futaba her things. It makes sense now that she thinks about it since she doubts Sojiro would need something as small as the packages as she’s been handling. He does run a business after all so he probably orders things all the time there that come here in huge boxes.

“You use to live in the city?” Ryuko asks tilting her head. She glances down for a second to text her mom that she’s got a new phone and can get texts again, knowing well the woman’s been worried. Having to update her mom every day at another payphone close to her apartment has been a bit of a pain.

“Yeah I did with my kaa-san.” Futaba says with a bit of a sad smile. “But some stuff happened and now I live out here with Sojiro and Kaito.”

The air in the room has settled into a harsh quiet that tilts towards awkward as Ryuko figures out what to say to that. Given how she’s been talking, it’s kind of clear Futaba’s mother is no longer living. She briefly wonders if Sojiro is her father or maybe her uncle but decides not to press. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Katio has wilted some what.

The cat has a far off look in his pretty gray eyes as if he’s thinking about something, making her wonder if he knew Futaba’s mother personally. In fact...he almost looks guilty with how his ears lay back.

Ryuko wiggles in her seat as she drops her stare towards the ground, hating how quiet it’s gotten.

“Ahh well...then I’ll come back next week for sure.” Ryuko says rubbing the back of her neck. “Maybe we can hang out and do something other than walk around.”

“Really?” Futaba brightens up at that. “Do you like video games? I’ve got a ton we can play together, or what about movies?”

“All of that sounds really fun.” Ryuko laughs at the girl’s excitement. “Actually, what time is it? I could probably stay for a movie if it isn’t to late.”

“Your bus leaves in a few hours so yeah you can stay for a movie.” Kaito says as he leans against her with ease. One glance at him tells her he’s back to his normal self, probably thankful she changed the subject there with the way he purrs.

“That’s great then! C’mon, the movie room is this way!”

Futaba jumps up from her seat, and takes Ryuko by the hand. With ease she stands up, letting the smaller girl lead her out of the room. Kaito follows with his hands in his pockets, and his ears perked up happily. A few minutes later, Ryuko finds herself watching a movie in another room sitting on a couch with Kaito laying on her lap once more and Futaba leaning against her.

‘ _This is so weird.’_ Ryuko thinks as she scratches Kaito behind his ear gently. _‘But ah well...hell of a way to spend a weekend if anything.'_

* * *

It’s the middle of the week after her visit that Ryuko finds herself delivering another package to Lablanc’s inn through the forest. The week has been uneventful, which is normal and made her look forward to head towards the small town. She finds herself actually excited to seeing both Kaito and Futaba today, especially after having them both text her so much through the week.

For a cat, Kaito sure does know how to type fast…

Either way she’s looking forward to having a nice dinner with the two, especially since she can do it today. Mishima gave her the delivery a bit earlier than before, giving her more than enough time to eat something before catching the bus.

Of course this is only if the dumb wolf doesn’t take up to much of her time...

Ryuko knows for a fact that he’s not to happy with her. Both Futaba and Kaito mentioned something about how grumpy he’s been, warning her to be careful. Despite thinking the wolf is not that great, Ryuko does keep this stuff in mind remembering that cold dark fear from the previous encounter all to easily.

‘ _Dick’s going to be trying something.’_ Ryuko thinks as the bridge comes into view, her heart starting to beat faster in her chest. _‘Just keep_ _calm and you should be fine.’_

As she gets closer her eyes dart around, looking for Akechi hiding behind a tree or rock. Outside of the normal sounds of the forest and river she hears nothing, but she expected that since it always feels like she’s alone before Akechi appears. What she doesn’t expect is seeing the large brown lump at the other end of the bridge when she arrives. Blinking, she realizes this thing is breathing, and it’s very much alive. Before she can really get a good look at it, the lump moves making her jump just a bit.

“What the hell?”

The thing picks it’s head up revealing to the delivery girl that it’s a large brown _dog_ of all things. Ryuko can’t help the little gasp that escapes her lips as excitement rushes through since, shit... _dogs are awesome_! She briefly wonders if it’s a stray, or maybe someone’s pet got lost as she approaches it.

If it’s the former, then she’ll help the animal find it’s home.

“Hey there buddy, what are you doing here?” Ryuko keeps her voice a bit high and sugar-y sweet as she crouches down a bit. Given the way it tilts his head, it’s probably better to let it approach her instead of rushing forward and scaring it. To sound more inviting she clicks her tongue and holds out her hand. “C’mere boy, lemme see ya!”

The dog stretches as it stands, with Ryuko watching with large eyes as the word cute rushes through her. It’s a beautiful dog with thick brown fur that looks so soft that she can’t wait to touch it. It must be a pet to look this good, now that she thinks about it and it makes her heartache to think it really is lost.

The animal takes it’s time with approaching her, it’s red-brown eyes staring her down with an intense gleam. The closer it gets the more Ryuko faintly realizes that the color is kind of familiar and she swears she’s seen them before now...there’s something else off about this dog too but she can’t put her finger on it. That is until it’s a few feet away, allowing her to get an even better look which makes Ryuko’s stomach drop on a panic inducing realization.

That is...that is not a dog….Holy shit that is **not** a dog!!

That’s a fucking _wolf_.

She stands up fast, ignoring the slight rush that comes to her head from moving that quickly and moves towards the side of the bridge. The wolf follows her direction, cutting her off that way as it continues to slowly walk towards her. She silently swears to herself that the beast has a freaking _smirk_ on it’s muzzle as she rushes to the other side. Loud swears escape her mouth when it cuts her off again there, still going as slow as before. It’s frightening how much time this animal is taking to get closer to her...almost as if it’s calculated her response.

Ryuko feels so stupid for not realizing how big this thing was, there’s no way a normal dog would be _th_ _is_ big. Not to mention she knows well the forest is notorious for having wolves inside it, after all she deals with one every damn time she—wait a minute.

Another realization slides into place as she scrambles up on to the bridge’s railing, making it just in time to stare down at the large animal. Narrowing her eyes, and seeing it’s tail wag as she almost loses balance confirms exactly what she’s thinking.

“ _Akechi_!?” She snarls at him earning herself a sharp bark from the wolf. “What the hell are you-hey!”

Ryuko lifts up her leg fast when Akechi snaps at her feet, flashing his dangerously sharp teeth at her as his lips curl up in a snarl. He does this again, going for her opposite leg and making her jump and land on her other leg.

“H-hey! Knock it off you asshole!!” Ryuko yells as her balance starts to waver. Her whole body tilts forward, then back towards the water in an attempt not to at least get a bit of her balance back. It doesn’t work, and the delivery girl is forced to switch to her other leg in a flash with another snap directed towards her feet.

Akechi’s tail is still wagging as he makes her dance on the railing, clearly enjoying how much he’s making her freak out. God damn creep does not know when to—!!

“Shit!!”

Ryuko screams as she finally loses balance and falls backwards into the river below. The water is ice cold and chills her to the bones the moment her back hits. It stings thanks to the bridge’s height, signaling to her in the back of her mind that her body is going to be sore later on. Thankfully the water’s current isn’t moving to fast and with it being deep she doesn’t hit anything. With these things both realized, Ryuko easily kicks herself back up to the surface with a gasp. She coughs a bit, her lungs stinging as she quickly starts to swim towards a shore she hopes is the one that leads to the villiage. She let’s herself drift a bit down however, not wanting Akechi to catch up with her if she does choose the right side.

Crawling up on land does nothing to help her freezing problem, but it does give her something to collapse against once she makes it. Ryuko coughs and groans as she lays there, shivering as a cool wind rushes by. Part of her is thankful for the river being so deep, she’d hate to imagine what would have happened if it wasn’t.

With a grunt, the delivery girl pushes herself up so she’s sitting, and pulls her delivery bag onto her lap. Seeing that it’s still dry makes her let out a sigh of relief, especially since it means the charm put on it actually works. Futaba’s package is safe and sound inside, making Ryuko smile despite having fallen into the river.

That is quickly pushed back as her temper quickly takes over making her growl and stumble to stand up. Her shoes squish with every step, while her hoodie feels like it’s fifty pounds thanks to the water. Squinting Ryuko looks across the river and sees that some how she’s on the right side.

“At least I picked the right side!” She snarls to herself, gripping her hand into a fist. “Next time I see that fuckin’ wolf he’s dead!”

With that promise firmly locked into place Ryuko starts her trek through the forest, easily finding the familiar trail to the village. Oh she is going to make sure Akechi pays for this bullshit.

She better not catch a cold or he’ll really be screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo aaah this took longer than i planned. Thanks to some stuff I have been distracted and kind of working on other things. Hell i might have a new fic posted later next week, but i'm not to sure about that. 
> 
> I'm kinda not exactly happy with this chapter. It's okay, and i needed to establish somethings. But it feels a bit to off at times so I'm not exactly fond of it. Except for that ending. I've been planning this for a while since Akechi has to get back at Ryuko some how after all lol. It's not fun if one side is always winning! 
> 
> Either way I hope you guys enjoy this, and I want to say thank you for the wonderful comments from the last chapter. They are awesome and I try to answer them as fast as I can, so thanks again! Keep it up since it really does motivate me a lot to know people are interested in this silly thing. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and as always please leave a comment! I love hearing what you guys think!


	4. Chapter 4

“She’s late.”

Futaba pouts a bit as she crouches in her chair next to Kaito who hums in agreement, pausing to check his phone for the time. Ryuko had texted him earlier that day, to let him know to expect her a bit sooner than she normally is. Which prompted him to invite her to dinner for the night since Sojiro had made a bit more curry than he usually did. She’d been excited, and had mentioned she’ll try not to mess with Akechi to much today so she’ll have time to eat.

Of course that depended on the wolf more than Ryuko, but Kaito quietly prayed to himself that maybe the wolf had cooled off enough for him to not actually kill Ryuko. It’s hard to say to be completely honest given Akechi is a pro at hiding his emotions, but whatever he has planned probably isn’t something Ryuko can’t handle on her own. She’s proven twice now that she can get away from him, but that was because Akechi underestimated her.

‘ _With him knowing she’s fast_ _now,_ _he’ll be a bit smarter.’_ Kaito thinks as he leans against the table, his gray eyes glued to the front doors of the Lablanc Inn.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Kaito says, forcing a smile to his lips as he glances at Futaba. “Ryuko’s a tough girl.”

“Yeaaaah, but Akechi was furious.” Futaba says as she lays her head on her arms, pouting a bit with a worried glint in her eyes. “He ain’t gonna be easy on her anymore.”

Kaito can’t help but nod his head in agreement, knowing all to well the competitive streak the wolf has. Despite this he knows outside of scaring her, Akechi wouldn’t actually hurt her. He may talk a big game, and could even back that up a long time ago, but after everything...he’s gotten soft.

Which is a good thing in the cat’s opinion.

Kaito reaches out gently and rustles Futaba’s hair, letting the girl’s long soft locks slip through is fingers. He hadn’t exactly expected her to become so fond of the delivery girl so fast. Hell he hadn’t expected _himself_ to like Ryuko so much in such a short time, but here he is, worried sick over her. She does have a slight rough charm to her, one that is hard not to want to be around with how cheerful she is.

“If you two are so worried why don’t you give her a call?” Sojiro suggests behind them, watching them with a worried smile. “Probably would make you feel better.

Shifting a bit at the owner’s request, Kaito pulls his cellphone closer, and keeping it on the table. “Sojiro’s right, how about I-”

The front doors slam open, causing everyone in the room to jump at the sound. To everyone’s surprise, Ryuko walks in, completely soaking wet and looking furious. She doesn’t even notice Kaito and Futaba as she squishes by, her shoes making the sound as she walks. With a grunt she pulls out the package, and clipboard shoving them both at Sojiro, bordering on throwing at him.

“Sorry for being late...” She mumbles rubbing her forehead. “You would not believe what just happened...that _fucking wolf_.”

“Ryuko!” Futaba is up on her feet after she hears the older girl’s grumbles, holding herself back from hugging her. “You’re all wet! What happened?”

Ryuko’s cheeks turn a light red as she scratches at one, shifting from one foot to the other. “Hey Futaba...I just kinda...fell in the river.”

Kaito’s next to Futaba in an instant, curious as to what happened himself. “How in the hell did you do that?”

“...Fucking Akechi scared me into it.” Ryuko groans, rubbing her forehead again as everyone stares at her as if she’s grown another head. Under their gazes her leg starts to bounce in annoyance while she moves her hands around in frustration. “So like...I get to the god damn bridge, and at first I think there’s this dog at the other end. Well when it starts to get closer I realize, _oh shit_ it’s not a dog! It’s a fucking wolf that has got to be Akechi, ya know? And the asshole chases me up on the railing of the stupid bridge, and makes me fall into the river! Thank god I had my cellphone in my bag or I’d be even more fucked.”

“What did the wolf look like?” Kaito asks as he listens to her rant.

“Brown? Kind of fluffy and looks like it’s been groomed a lot I guess? And it had red eyes like him too!” Ryuko adds after a thought.

“Yep that is Akechi.” Kaito sighs shaking his head. “I figured he’d do something like this sooner or later.”

“He snapped at me! Could have fuckin’ bit me if I wasn’t fast enough!” Ryuko groans as she runs a hand through her wet hair. “Asshole...next time I see em’ I’m gonna punch him in the dick!...if he’s a human of course.”

Kaito holds back a laugh as he covers his mouth and looks away. Around this time Sojiro has handed Ryuko her clipboard back, and Futaba’s taking her package. The girl hugs it to her chest looking the delivery girl up and down with a bit of a worried gleam in her eyes.

“You gotta be cold in those wet clothes.” Futaba says, gaining Ryuko’s attention. “And hungry.”

“Yeah I am starved.” Ryuko says as she presses a hand to her stomach. “And a bit cold, but I’ll be fine. It’s spring and it’s been getting warmer so I don’t think I’ll catch a cold.”

Kaito rolls his eyes as he takes hold of her hood and starts to tug her lightly towards the stairs. “C’mon you, there’s no way I’m going to let you go home in wet clothes. Futaba, you get dinner ready with Sojiro, we’ll be down in a bit.”

Before Ryuko can really object she’s already up the stairs and following Kaito towards who knows where.

* * *

“I know they’re a bit big, but this is the best we’ve got.” Kaito says this as he hands her a clean set of warm clothes with a towel on top.

“Dude, you don’t have to do this...” Ryuko grins at him as she pats the towel with her hands. “But thanks, it’s seriously awesome.”

“It’s no problem.” He pats her head gently before turning around.

Ryuko easily admits to herself that she is surprised that Kaito has a room considering he is...well...a _cat_. A cellphone is one thing but finding out the shapeshifting creature lives in the attic of the inn is something else. It’s a bit dusty with a few cobwebs here and there, but he’s got a nice bed in the corner by the window, and a couch with a small TV next to it. There’s even a desk and bookshelves, filled with many books of all shape and sizes.

It screams Kaito wherever she looks despite the simplicity and finds that it’s pretty comfortable. Then again it is just a tiny bit smaller than her own apartment so she’d be just fine here personally. It’s thankfully warm too despite it being early spring, something she’s more than thankful for thanks to her wet clothes.

With that in that in mind, she lays what Kaito gave her on the couch and takes the towel. Ryuko starts to dry her hair with it, rubbing it all around to get the extra moisture off as she listens for the cat’s footsteps to fade down the stairs. Instead it’s quiet, except for the soft squeak of the cat’s bed as he sits down on it, which makes her look up.

He’s watching her with a smile, clearly waiting for her to undress with ease, which makes her frown as she pulls the towel from her head. They have a bit of a staring contest as she unzips her hoodie, letting it fall to the floor with a squishy flop and stops when her hands grab the edge of her tank top. Kaito still sits happily on his bed watching her with his gray eyes, not moving an inch.

“Uhhh...do...do ya mind dude?” She asks, lifting her tank top up a little showing her stomach.

He blinks at her words before shaking his head. “No.”

Frowning a bit, Ryuko shrugs her shoulders as she peels the wet tank top from her skin...and throws it at the cat. Kaito let’s out a cat like yelp when it hits his face, falling a bit back on his bed. The delivery girl takes this time to completely strip, bra and underwear included, as he struggles with her wet tank top. By the time he’s got the wet thing on the floor, she’s already dressed in the warm pair of sweat pants and shirt smirking at him.

“You’re...pretty fast in everything aren’t you?” He asks as he stands up. Kaito leans down and picks up her wet hoodie, looking her up and down. “Glad things fit you, even if they are a bit baggy.”

“Eh, when you share a locker room with guys you learn how to get dressed fast.” Ryuko says with a shrug. “Thanks for the clothes though, these are yours right?”

When she looks closer at the outfit, she’s not surprised to see that this is probably Kaito’s PJ’s given the relaxed fit with the shirt and draw strings on the pants. The cat nods his head with a smile and cups his chin as he examines her there.

“I was a bit worried my clothes would be to big for you, but they look like they’re perfect.” Kaito says patting her head. She’s starting to wonder if he likes doing that because people must do it to him all the time when he’s a cat. A bit of revenge in an odd way for being petted so much? Or maybe he just thinks she’s cute and does the same thing humans do with him. It’s hard to say with Kaito.

“Oh yeah, totally perfect.” Ryuko holds up her hands, showing how the sleeves cover her hand with just the tips of her fingers poking out. “You’re shit’s kind of big on me.”

“Well I am a few inches taller.” Kaito says with a bit of a hum. “Either way, it’s kind of cute and way better than wet clothes.”

“Totally is.” Ryuko agrees with a sigh. She picks up the rest of her wet clothing and looks at the cat. “What should I do with these?”

“I’ll take them and get them dried for you.” He takes the remaining clothes from her and tilts his head towards the stairs. “You head down stairs and get some dinner in you before it gets to late.”

“Thanks dude, I really appreciate this. Uuuuugh next time I see that dumb wolf I’m gonna kick his ass.” Ryuko grips her hand into a fist and throws a punch in the air, keeping her arm still.

Kaito watches with an amused snort before tapping her first with his own lightly. She grins at him, letting her arm fall to her side as she follows him down the stairs.

“And I know you will. Akechi’s a clever guy, so watch out.” Kaito warns as he looks over his shoulder. “I don’t think he’d ever actually hurt you, but just be careful. There’s a lot more in that forest than him. He’s just the one protecting it.”

Ryuko is quiet as she listens to the cat and stops on the stairs just before she reaches the bottom. Noticing she hasn’t followed Kaito looks up at her, his tail twitching every so slightly as a tense air gathers between them.

“Hey Kaito...can I ask why he’s the one watching the forest?” Ryuko asks rubbing the back of her neck. “It just feels weird for someone like him to be doing that, you know?”

The cat is quiet as he watches her, as his ears lays down. He shrugs his shoulders as he turns his back to her, clearly taking his time to find his words.

“Akechi...has his reasons for protecting the forest.” Kaito says his tail beginning to sway. “And there are reasons why he was chosen. It’s hard to really explain it to you since you’re a human, but...Akechi’s past isn’t spotless. He wasn’t a good person at one point in time, and made a lot of mistakes. I guess you could say him protecting that place is his attempt to make up for them.”

Ryuko listens to the cat taking in his words, crossing her arms as curiosity eats at her. The more she gets to know these people here in this inn, the more mysterious they get. In fact the most secretive one of them all seems to be the cat in front of her.

“Kaito, how long have you known Akechi?” Ryuko asks watching his shoulders tense.

“A long time, but you shouldn’t really get to worried about this stuff. I’m just a house cat, and he’s just a wolf.” Kaito looks over his shoulder giving her a bit of a worried smile. “That’s all we are now. And that’s all we want to be too.”

Kaito starts to walk away, making Ryuko follow after him. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs he’s already half way down the hall.

“Now get down stairs and eat. Dinner’s getting cold.”

* * *

“You’ve been really quiet...what happened?”

Ryuko blinks at Junpei’s soft voice, sitting up a bit in her seat before glancing over at him. After her talk with Kaito, she enjoyed a nice curry dinner with Futaba and the cat. Sojiro even joined them, making it a bit more enjoyable than she’d originally planned for. However, it took her clothes a bit longer than planned to dry and she missed the bus.

“ _Sorry about that Ryuko...I should have fixed this with magic.”_

Kaito’s sad little cat ears had broken her heart, and she never once blamed him for this. After all, he wasn’t the ass who pushed her into a river. Either way, Ryuko ended up calling Junpei for a ride who happily picked her up in return for some gas money and food. The older man has been glancing at her every so often since they entered the city limits, noticing her quiet nature which is well...not Ryuko at all.

The cat’s words however is what’s really been weighing on her mind. Just a house cat and a wolf now huh? Well if that’s true...what were they before?

She hates that part of her wants to know and pry into her new friend’s past, especially since he hasn’t asked her anything. All he knows is she’s just some random chick who’s doing her job...he doesn’t know anything about what she’s gone through. It feels a bit weird, especially since she does consider Kaito and Futaba her friends. But...it’s to early to really talk about personal shit. Maybe after she gets to know them a bit more, she’ll share, and if he doesn’t want to do the same then that’s okay too.

Everyone’s got their secrets after all.

But Junpei doesn’t need to know about that shit. He’s got enough crap on his plate with his own life she imagines, and doesn’t need her stuff on there too. So with a sigh she stretches out her arms before letting herself yawn a bit.

“That dumb wolf pushed me into the god damn river.” Ryuko starts with a grunt. “So I had to walk to the inn soaking wet. Thankfully Kaito had some clothes for me to change into while mine dried.”

“Are you serious?” Junpei snorts at her words. “The wolf pushed you into the river?”

“Well...more like he made me fall into it, but yeah it’s all his fall. The ass was an actual _wolf_ this time, and like fucking snapped at me! So I climbed upon the railing and he made me fall!” Ryuko groans as she leans forward, crossing her arms. “And that means I’m gonna have to pay him...”

Junpei laughs a bit at her misery shaking his head before he calms himself down. “That is pretty shitty, but...I think I have an idea on a way to get back at him if you’re interested.”

Ryuko blinks at Junpei and sits up a bit straighter as a grin spreads across her lips. “Oh really? What cha’ thinking?”

Junpei pokes his hat up as he gives her a quick glance before focusing on the road. “I’m thinking, if this wolf thinks he’s so smart and that he’s gotten you...let’s show him that we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves. Ya don’t mess with delivery guys, especially the Red Hoods.”

Ryuko feels excitement start to run through her as she notices her coworker’s smirk, and can’t wait to see what he’s thinking. If it’s got Junpei like this it’s going be something _great_.

* * *

Akechi leans against the stone bridge, smiling to himself as he pushes up his sleeve to check his wrist watch. The little delivery girl should be arriving at any second, and from what he gathered from the cat she had been quite upset with their last encounter. He’s been waiting for her next delivery, each day feeling like it’s taking forever. After all, he finally got the better of her and he wants to see her face.

‘ _She thought she was so smug getting past me twice.’_ Akechi thinks as he watches the ducks below the bridge float by. His strong nose begins to pick up her scent the closer she gets, and is thrilled to know she’s going to be here soon. _‘I’m not playing anymore now however. She won’t get past me ever again.’_

It’s been more than a pain to listen to Kaito’s teasing along with Futaba’s. Before this girl he scared every delivery person and passerby into submission with ease. It’s his job after all, to weed out those he thinks might cause the forest harm, and he’s had a perfect record before this delivery girl. Now his pride’s been damaged and Akechi’s never liked this feeling.

In the past, he’d just get rid of her permanently, but now…

“Think fast asshole!”

He heard her footsteps her before the yell and easily catches the object the delivery girl tosses at his head. Rolling his eyes, he expects another head of lettuce to be in his hand. Instead it’s the coin pouch from Iwai, filled with his payment for her to pass. Akechi arches an eyebrow when he looks up at the girl, seeing her actually angry with him.

He can’t help the smile that quirks up on his lips as he chuckles, opening the bag to examine it’s contents. He can tell by the weight all the coins are there, and is satisfied that she’s at least not a thief.

“Well, well, well, I’m surprised you came back after falling like you did.” Akechi teases as she storms up to him. “I told you, I really am a wolf.”

“Screw you.” She sighs as she leans against the bridge next to him, her cheeks turning a bit red. “You just got lucky since I didn’t expect shit like that.”

“Hmm, well you should know I won’t hesitate to do that again.” Akechi says as he sets the pouch down on his other side. He glares at her when she looks up at him, making sure she understands how serious he is. “Next time I might actually bite.”

The delivery girl is quiet as he takes in his words, her eyes darting up and down as she takes him in. But she settles on looking him in his eyes, and he sees a bit of fear spark up before she turns to glare at the river below them. He smirks feeling his broken pride start to piece together, thankful that he is still terrifying in some retrospect. Akechi would have never let a woman like this beat him years ago...he’s gotten too soft…

“Whatever dude, if that’s what helps you with this shit then that’s cool.” She says playing off her fear. Despite this he can still smell it, knowing well he had an effect on her.

Wolves tend to do that to humans after all. They see them far away in zoos and on tv, and think they’re about the same size as a normal dog. But when they see them in the wild, all of that goes out the window because in reality, wolves are very large animals. Akechi knows well he leans on the larger side of this as well, and that can be terrifying to a small girl such as the one next to him.

“Well all you have to do to avoid that is keep paying me and we won’t have a problem.” Akechi warns watching her as he leans on his chin against his fist. “Just be a good little delivery girl, and we won’t have any more problems.”

She snorts, tucking a bit of her blonde hair behind her ears. “Do you get off on this shit or what? Because seriously, I’m starting to wonder with your attitude.”

He rolls his eyes sighing a bit as he let’s his gaze drop down to the water once more. “Are you always this vulgar? Because I’ve never met a woman with a mouth like yours before this, and I can’t help but wonder what will shut it up.”

The dramatic sigh from the girl let’s out only serves to get on his nerves more, and he readies himself for more of her crap.

“See my main problem with you Mr. Big Bad Wolf, is that either A, you do get off on scaring people. Or B, you’re compensating for _something_ and that is just sad.” The delivery looks him up and down, her eyes stopping on his crotch before darting back up with a smirk when she sees him shift uncomfortably. “And I just don’t put up with that shit. I’ve had men try to scare me all my life because they think they’re better than me...and just like you, they hate it when I get mouthy.”

Akechi glares at her as he narrows her eyes. He leans a bit forward, towering over her as his patients with this delivery girl runs thin. If there is one thing he hates, it’s being compared to human men, and Akechi isn’t about to just stand here and let her get away with it.

“You should watch your tongue girl.” He warns taking hold of her chin, making her look at him, as his voice takes on the tone of a deep growl. “I am not a human man...and I’m not afraid to snatch it from you if you continue to compare me to those _worms_.”

For a moment it’s quiet and intense between them with only the sounds of the forest to interrupt it. The delivery girl never ones tears her eyes from his, as she glares back even with her fear that he can smell drift off of her. Instead she smirks, making his anger really start to burn inside his gut.

“I’d like to see you try.”

Her words make him sneer as he pushes her away, feeling his teeth start to shift to fangs. How dare this human girl talk to him with such a tone! She has no idea what she’s playing with, and clearly needs to be taught a lesson. Gripping his hand into a fist Akechi takes a deep breath as he tries to calm his anger, knowing she’s happy that she has gotten under his skin.

“I’m in no mood for your games anymore today...” He warns letting his head hang down. “So I will give you one warning, leave your payment or I _will_ rip out your tongue.”

He hears the delivery girl sigh as she pushes herself away from the bridge.

“Fiiiiiine.” She whines as she digs through her bag, letting the bag of coin drop next to him when she finds it. “If ya gotta be all dramatic and scary then I’ll freaking pay you today too. For someone who claims not to be a human dude, you sure as fuck act like one when I talk back.”

“I told you to leave once you paid.” Akechi says as he tries to control his anger. “Now go!”

She’s quiet for a moment as she stares at his back before huffing quietly to herself. “See you later then ass.”

Akechi listens to her footsteps as she runs off towards the woods, only lifting his head when he knows he’ll no longer see her. He stares at the spot where the trail curves, as his anger slowly starts to fade. Embarrassment rushes through him as he realizes how easily the human girl provoked, just with a few words. It’s been so long since he’s been this furious, and it takes a while for his teeth to shape back into human ones. His canines stay sharp thanks to his annoyance, which just adds to it making Akechi hate how little control he has over his temper with this human.

It’s been so long since he’s lost it like this that Akechi struggles to remember the last time. It makes his head ache as he rubs his temples, while his shoulders finally relax. They’d been tense since the delivery girl opened her mouth, now with her gone he can finally let it all go.

Akechi pauses in his rubbing as he looks towards the second pouch and tilts his head. It...had not been loud when it touched the stones that make up the bridge. Which is not right at all. Even with the cloth pouch, he should have heard the coins clang against one another.

Reaching out he takes hold of the pouch and shakes it hearing something in it, but it’s not metal. Frowning and feeling his anger start to rise once more, he opens the pouch and peers inside...and is suddenly very confused. Reaching in he pulls out...a coin?

“But it’s not a coin...” He mumbles to himself.

Just by the smell of it Akechi can tell it’s not a real coin despite the metal foil and print on it. The scent that drifts off the fake coin is familiar however, but he can’t quite put his finger on what it is. He takes a moment to bite on the tip of his glove and pull his hand free before using his nail to peal back the metal foil to find…

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Akechi stares down at the chocolate coin in his hand as he peals off the other half and turns it around in his palm. Yep...this is a chocolate coin...the type children get for a treat or some gift for a holiday. He’s quiet as he picks it up and sniffs it, finding the sweet scent finally familiar before he takes a bite out of it.

This is chocolate alright...it’s chocolate…. _it’s fucking chocolate!!!_

“ **That bitch!!** ” Akechi growls as he slams his fist on the stone bridge, feeling his face heat up as a furious blush covers his whole face.

With a sharp rage he finishes the chocolate, before pulling out another coin and doing the same. Finding himself even more upset that it’s actual good chocolate too!

* * *

“Hey Akechi, what’s with the sour face?”

Kaito holds back a laugh as he watches the familiar figure of a wolf stomp his way into the inn, just an hour after Ryuko left. Part of him is kind of glad she left, since she mentioned that in the end she had really pissed him off. It was probably for the best they not see each other for a long time and the cat just needs to see the rage on the wolf’s face to know she’s right.

Without a word Akechi tosses a pouch at Kaito who catches it with ease. He blinks down at it, recognizing it as one of Iwai’s and sniffs at it. The familiar scent of chocolate hits his senses, before he pulls the bag open as Akechi takes a seat.

“Where did you get this?” He asks watching the wolf tap the bar in front of him. Inside he sees a few wrappers of those fake chocolate coins he’s seen kids get for holidays from their grandparents. Given the lightness in the bag and how many pieces of foil inside, the cat guesses Akechi ate all of them. Which makes him wonder how his stomach isn’t trying to kill him at the moment.

“Coffee please.” Akechi says with a controlled sigh. “I just really need a cup of my usual...please.”

Kaito ignores him in favor of looking over the bag as the tries to think of why Akechi would have such a thing when it clicks. He blinks for a second, as he looks from the bag to the wolf who glares at him with a sneer daring him to say it.

“Please tell me you got this from her.”

“Coffee _please_.”

“Oh my god you totally did...holy shit.”

“ _Coffee_.”

“Akechi, did you get tricked by a human girl again?”

“I’ll eat you if you don’t shut up...”

“Futaba is going to lose her shit when I show her this!”

“God damn it cat give me my cup of coffee before I decided to have you for my dinner!”

Kaito ignores his yells as he quickly jumps over the counter and races towards the stairs. “Futaba!! She got him again!! And this time it’s with chocolate!”

The cat quickly runs up the stairs and barely makes it into the young witches room as Akechi follows after him. Threatening to eat him all the way of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol if you guys see this going up weirdly it's because while I was editing this I clicked post by accident. I had to delete it since it totally wasn't ready and I was still editing things. But now it's good to go!
> 
> Aaaand I can't remember what I posted here, but either way this one took me a bit longer than I planned. I ran into some trouble thanks to work and the holidays popping up so my writing got put on the back burner (on top of also starting another fic...that might be posted soon as well. Depends on if i have to delete an entire scene again sigh. And yes it will be Akechi/Ryuko. I am weak to this couple/au/genderbend whatever. Girl's like Ryuko are my favorite type lol) 
> 
> I wanted to also say that if you guys wanna do fan art please do! I absolutely love fan art and I think it's one of the coolest things you guys can do! Please send me a link in the comments if you do that stuff and I will check it out in a heart beat! You are more than welcome to do stuff like that and more, as long as i get credit for this stuff I'm cool with just about anything. 
> 
> As always please leave a comment! I look forward to them every time I post this stuff up and I love seeing them. Big or small, or medium comments are the best and really help motivate me. I love hearing what you guys think and it really helps with this fic. So don't be afraid to leave one please
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

“Junpei it worked!!”

Ryuko rushes into the break room, her phone in hand as she quickly finds the older man lounging on the couch. He looks up from his own, grinning when he notices she’s got a picture and jumps up to his feet. She barley notices Mishima who glances at them from the table, frowning at her yell.

It’s early in the morning with most of the deliver guys getting ready for their shifts. Junpei usually arrives about twenty minutes early to “dick” around on his phone as he likes puts it and help out those who need it. Which is why after receiving a text from Futaba late last night, Ryuko forced herself to get up this early. She isn’t set to be in for another thirty minutes, but she just has to share this.

“Holy shit.” Junpei tips his hat up as he peers down at her phone. “It actually worked!”

“What you thought it wouldn’t?” Ryuko grins up at him, bouncing a bit. “Heheheh, asshole got all scary mad at me so it was easy to just drop it off and run. Didn’t even realize what was in it until I was to far away to chase.”

The chocolate coins had been Junpei’s idea, and he even helped pay for the good stuff just to make sure the reveal stung. Ryuko still can’t help but love it, wishing she could have seen Akechi’s face when he realized what she’d done. Futaba’s pictures of the aftermath however are worth just as much.

There’s only three in total, one of the bag Ryuko gave him, the second being Futaba dumping out all the empty chocolate coin wrappers on the Inn’s counter. With the last being of Akechi trying to catch her, looking _very_ angry...god if Ryuko could have been a fly on the wall when he arrived at the Inn.

They say revenge is sweet, and they ain’t wrong about that.

“I thought he’d just smell it so I was a bit nervous on that bit.” Junpei says as he rustles Ryuko’s hair. “But either way, glad I could help you get revenge Ryu-tan!”

He holds up his hand for a high five that Ryuko quickly slaps grinning all the while. Neither notice Mishima as he comes up behind them, peering over Ryuko’s shoulder and sighing. Lightly he bops Ryuko on the head with his clipboard, earning him a soft ow. The young woman quickly turns around, and glares at him as she rubs her head.

“Mishima? What the hell dude, why’d you hit me?” She asks grumbling as she slips her phone into her hoodie’s pocket.

“How many times do I have to tell you to not to piss off Akechi-san?” He rubs his temples with another sigh. “Ryuko-kun I know you have a competitive streak, but this guy can kill you piss him off enough.”

“He’s threatened it a few times.” Ryuko says rolling her eyes. “I figured if he hasn’t done it yet he’s just trying to scare me.”

Mishima twitches at her words and grips his clipboard just a bit tighter. Without another word he bops her a bit harder on the head with it, earning him another sharp ow and her cowering away.

“I know warning you to chill out isn’t going to do anything, but for once can’t you just give him the money so I don’t have to worry about you?” He tilts his head watching her rub at the spot the hit.

She glares at him as she drops her hands to her side, feeling a bit annoyed at his attitude towards her...he really doesn’t have a right to worry about her...he really doesn’t. “Thanks for the worry dude, but I can handle myself. You can’t do shit for me _still_  so knock it off.”

Mishima’s eyes widen at her words as he stares back, biting his lip before hissing to himself. He turns away and heads for the door, stopping with his hand on the handle.

“I...I know that, Ryuko-kun. So...just...just don’t get eaten okay? Anyways, meet me by the dock in about twenty minutes. We’ve got a lot of deliveries in town today so I’m going to need you to focus.” Mishima looks over his shoulder, and it takes everything inside of Ryuko not to wince at the hurt look in his eyes. “So rest up, get your water bottle ready and I’ll see you then.”

“Alright, I’ll be there.” Ryuko says watching him go.

Mishima nods his head before he leaves, quietly closing the break room door behind him. Junpei has been silent this whole time looking between the two, before settling down on staring at Ryuko. She catches his eyes, and shrugs not real to sure what to say, and silently hopes he doesn’t try to talk to her.

“You and Mishima went to high school together right?” Junpei asks as she heads over to the vending machine, deciding to glare at that rather than him. Of course he’d ask...

“Hmm? Oh yeah we did. We weren’t in the same classes, but we’d see each other in the halls and shit like that.” Ryuko explains with ease deciding to play that off as she pauses. She stares at the machine trying to decide which soda sounds good at six am in the morning. Something with a lot of sugar and caffeine would probably be a good start…

“Yeah he mentioned that when you turned your application in.” Junpei says as he takes out his phone once more. “But out of all our delivery guys, he tends to fret over you the most.”

Ryuko hums sort of listening to her coworker as she bends down to pick out her pop after paying for it. The loud noise makes her wince a bit as it crashes down but it’s nothing she can’t handle. She twists the cap off before taking a long swig, eyes squeezing shut at the cold rush that hits her tongue.

“Not in a crush or romantic type way you know?” Junpei continues as he rubs his chin. “It’s a different kind of worry, not really sure how to put into words though. Do you know what’s up with that?”

Ryuko hesitates as she stares at her bottle, licking her lips as she listens to Junpei. She shrugs her shoulders, making him blink as she turns her back to him sipping at her soda. The runner knows exactly what Mishima’s deal is...and a part of her wishes he’d knock it off.

“I think he feels guilty...over what happened in high school with me.”

The air is tense, and she can tell Junpei regrets asking about this, but it’s not something she can really help. When Ryuko thinks back to high school or when it gets brought up the air around her _always_ feels heavy. It’s a time in her life she’d rather forget and not look back at, but some how...some how she’s still chained down by it.

“But he really shouldn’t.” Ryuko says deciding she can’t take the silence that’s drifted between them. It’s not the right atmosphere to have with Junpei around. When she thinks of her coworker, it’s usually bright smiles and laughs, not this. She can’t look him in the eyes right now, and finds herself staring down at her shoes as a mix of emotions swirl inside. “What happened wasn’t his fault...and there’s nothing he can do to make it right. No amount of worrying over shit is going to fix me...nothing will.”

For a moment she thinks Junpei is going to ask what she means when she hears his footsteps come closer. Instead he’s silent as he rustles her hair, making her blink. He easily messes up her hair a bit more with his large warm hand, before he steps back.

Junpei is way to nice...

“Ah, well if that’s the case then I’ll see you around Ryu-tan. You keep hydrated alright? And call me if you need anything ‘kay?” She can hear Junpei’s smile in his voice as he leaves. “See ya around!”

She turns and waves at him a bit before he closes the door.

“Yeah. See you around.”

* * *

 “Do you sleep on anyone or am I just special?”

The weekend comes fast for Ryuko, and she finds herself hanging out at the Lablanc Inn once more. By this point it’s pretty clear she’s going to be spending more of her time here, so she’s accepted it and came without planning to do much of anything. What she hasn’t exactly accepted is how easily Kaito falls asleep against her. Like right now with his head on her stomach, happily purring as she scratches him behind the ears.

Both lay on Futaba’s bed as the smaller girl works on something at her computer. She’s in the “zone” as Kaito likes to put it, and has been since Ryuko’s come in. She’s pretty sure Futaba hasn’t even noticed she’s here, but hey that’s fine. Girl’s gotta work on something, then she’s gotta work on it.

“Mmm yeah you’re very special.” He says opening an eye to glance at her, giving her a wink. “You smell nice, and you give good ear scratches. Cat’s don’t lay on just anyone you know? We’re very picky.”

“Is that so? I’ve never met a cat like you so I’m not to sure I can trust ya.” She pulls at his ear playfully, making Kaito yelp softly.

He laughs as he bats her hand away before pushing himself up to sit. Kaito leans back on his hands as he tilts his head a bit. “But if you’re uncomfortable with this...”

Before Ryuko can really say anything, the cat has moved so he’s sitting behind her, and pulls her so her back is against his chest and she’s between his legs. Kaito lays his hands on her stomach, before he leans his head against hers still purring happily.

“We can sit like this.” Kaito grins at her when she moves to looks up at him, which makes Ryuko roll her eyes.

He’s such a shameless flirt that she isn’t sure if he’s serious or not...especially when _she_ she can pick up on it. Ryuko’s always been horrible with that type of romantic stuff so it says something when a cat is this obvious. At the same time she never really picks up anything sexual from it and she’s seen him do it to other people besides herself. She figures it’s his weird of playing.

A cat is supposed to be coy right?

It also helps that Futaba is just as bad with personal space seeing as Ryukio is used often as a pillow by both. She briefly wonders if the little witch picked up the habit from the cat now that she thinks about it.

“Whatever works for you buddy. I’m okay with it either way.” She says reaching over to her bag, and pulling it closer. She digs through it a bit before she finds what she’s looking for, pulling it out with ease. Kaito blinks at it, tilting his head as he finds himself staring at a fashion magazine.

“You’re into fashion?” He asks, leaning a bit forward to get a better look.

“Hm? Nah not really I just kind of...” Ryuko feels her cheeks heat up as she stares down at the magazine, moving it so Kaito can see it better. “I kind of know the model on the cover so I just...bought it on impulse.”

Ryuko always does this when it comes to Takamaki Ann, the model on the front cover of this particular issue. They’d gone to middle school and high school together, and she’s had a soft spot for Takamaki since she came to one of her track meets. It’s weird how long ago it was when Ryuko first saw Ann cheering her on, making the runner’s heart do a little flip flop.

Especially since Takamaki is everything Ryuko’s never been, pretty, feminine, smart, kind…

They’d been friends in middle school after that, but when high school hit and they had separate classes they drifted apart. Then things got complicated... _really complicated_. And she hasn’t talked to Takamaki since, but even then she still buys magazines when she’s on the front cover. Happy to see her old friend is doing pretty good.

“Oh...She’s pretty.” Kaito leans a bit more over her to get a better look. “ _Really_ pretty.”

Ryuko finds herself staring at Kaito when she realizes he’s blushing a bit, with a bit of a far away look in his eyes. She’s only known him for a short while but she’s never seen that look on him, and can’t blame him. She probably gets it herself when she sees Takamaki now that she thinks about it.

“Yeah...yeah she is.” Ryuko smiles softly as she nods in agreement. “We went to middle school and high school together, but we weren’t ever really friends. I just like to pick up magazines and stuff with her on it to kind of support her you know? She was just so nice to me when we were in school that I just can’t stop myself. Ahh god I sound so freaking weird...”

“No you don’t.” Kaito says leaning his head against hers once more. “But knowing this...I gotta ask...are you a lesbian?”

Ryuko jumps at the question, sucking in air so fast that it makes her chock. She coughs a bit, which makes Kaito give her a bit more space as she gets her breathing under control. He’s smiling mischievously at her when she looks back at the cat, wondering where the hellthat came from. Blushing a bit Ryuko turns her head so she’s not looking at him as she rubs the back of her neck.

This subject is always a bit...tricky for her. It’s not like she’s embarrassed or anything, considering she has dated quite a few girls in the past years. The real problem is it’s not every day someone asks you that and so randomly too.

“N-no I’m not! I mean I...I like girls.” Ryuko admits with a shrug, really not sure why she feels nervous about this. It really must be because the question came out of nowhere really. “I’ve dated a few over the years, but like I mean...I like guys too things are just...a bit more complicated for me. Anyways, why the hell would you ask that?”

“The way you talk about the model caught my attention. It’s clear you like her a lot, probably even have a crush on her.” Kaito admits as he picks the magazine from her hands. “No one gets a look in their eyes like you did if they don’t like a person in that way. And I don’t blame you, it sounds like it wouldn’t be hard to fall for a girl like that.”

Ryuko’s red as a tomato now as she listens to him and swallows thickly. “I mean...y-yeah...I did. But like, nothing happened between us. After we got to high school we were in different classes so we didn’t talk...and then shit happened. So all in all...I’m a hopeless idiot who’s kept a really dumb crush since middle school for a girl who never even noticed.”

The last part comes out as a whine as Ryuko brings her knees up and hugs them. That odd feeling of disappointment when it comes to Takamaki rushes through her, and Ryuko is left with wishing she could have told her something.

Anything really would have been better than what went down.

“Nah you aren’t.” Kaito snickers to himself as he flips through the magazine, holding it over her head a bit. “Love makes people do all kinds of things. You liking to support a crush you have isn’t anything weird. Trust me, I’ve done weirder.”

“Oh really? What the hell have you done?” Ryuko snorts at the thought. “I mean you’re a cat so...”

Kaito pauses for a moment as he tilts his head, still staring at the magazine. “The first person who owned me I would scratch the hell out of any of his fiances things so they’d leave. God did so many of them hate me...but eventually he found the right person who had owned a cat before so she knew the deal. She talked to me, told me that it’s going to be okay...that’s how I knew I had no chance...also I was a cat.”

Ryuko burst out laughing at his story, holding her stomach as Kaito smirks above her. “Seriously?! That’s freakin’ hilarious!”

She calms down to snickers soon and shakes her head. “But man...good to know I’m not the only weirdo there. So why didn’t you just turn into a human? I imagine he’d be surprised but you know.”

“Ah because I couldn’t do it then.” Kaito admits with a grin. “That had to have been...”

He pauses as he thinks his eyes drifting up towards the ceiling as he mouths a few numbers before shrugging.

“Over five hundred years ago? Back then I was just a cat with a bit of magic power.” He says as he lays the magazine on her lap. “Took about twenty more years for me to really figure out shit and be able to shapeshift into a human let alone keep up this form all the time. This is my lazy human form too since I can go full no ears and tail.”

“Holy shit...you’re really old dude.” Ryuko blinks at his age, watching him nod his head. “Huh...so does that mean Akechi’s pretty old too? I mean he’s always a human, and he doesn’t even have ears like you so?”

“Nah, Akechi’s...a bit special when it comes to that.” Kaito admits with a wink. “Wolves have different set ups, on top of that his family history is a bit different than mine...but that’s not my story to tell.”

Taps her nose lightly, making her rub it with a bit of a grunt.

“Uuugh why are you so mysterious dude!?” Ryuko groans as she crosses her arms and leans against his chest, pouting. She hates that she can’t get anymore info on Akechi, especially since it could help her out in the end! “Is this a magic thing?”

“Mmm Kinda.” Kaito curls himself around her as he holds her closer. “But I will let you know one thing about your little rival. He’s very young, only twenty four years old.”

Ryuko drops her pout as she takes in Kaito’s words. She glances up at him, her eyebrows arching up in a questioning way as he nods his head. For a moment she’s quiet as she turns to stare ahead, thinking to herself about what he’s just said.

“...He’s only few years older than me.” She admits suddenly feeling...weird.

It doesn’t feel right for someone like him to be that young. Like, something is off with that especially with his attitude and general look in his eyes. Someone of his age...shouldn’t act like they’re so much older and get away with it. Let alone actually kill someone, like she knows Akechi has done deep down in her gut.

He’s to young for that.

“Oh really?” Kaito brightens up at her words. “When is your birthday?”

She can sense this is him trying to change the subject and sighs deciding to go along with it. So forcing a smile to her lips she nods her head.

“It’s July second, so huh...guess that is coming up then. I almost forgot about my own birthday to be honest.”

“Interesting...actually it’s kind of funny since the town has a festival go down around that time.” Kaito says rubbing his chin. “We actually have four of them for every season, and the local shrine takes care of it. I take Futaba out for it every time so she can get out of the inn.”

“And I hate the crowds!” Futaba yells from her seat.

The small girl stretches her arms above her head, groaning a bit before she let’s them drop. Ryuko watches as she spins around in her chair, stopping to look right at them.

“But it’s worth it for the fooo-aah! Ryuko! When did you get here!?” Futaba points at the girl who tilts her head.

“An hour ago.” Ryuko admits, half sure she did say hi to the little witch before she laid down on the bed with the cat.

Despite this she finds herself laughing at the fact that Futaba really didn’t even notice them, or hear them. She must have been so far off into her little zone that she was dead to the world. Either way the little witch in training huffs a bit before she crawls on to the bed with the cat and the runner.

“Uuugh you should have told me you were here!” Futaba whines as she lays down on her stomach in front of Ryuko and Kaito. “That way the dumb cat wouldn’t be hogging all your time here.”

The way she pouts makes Ryuko pause in thought before reaching out and patting her head gently. She almost feels like an older sister to the girl, and can’t help the weird sense of pride that settles inside her chest.

“Well I might just have to stay longer so you get a fair share.” Ryuko laughs a bit. “I didn’t know I was so popular!”

“You’re nice Ryuko.” Kaito says in her ear, purring a bit as his grip on her gets a bit tighter. “And you also make Akechi look like a dork. Anyone who can bring him down a peg is impressive.”

“Eh, just part of the job.” Ryuko says shrugging a bit. “So, now that you know that I’m here, what do you guys want to do today?”

Futaba brightens up a bit as she smiles at Ryuko and begins listing off some things they could do around the inn.

It’s going to be a bit of a busy day from the sounds of it.

* * *

 “Another day, another delivery for Futaba. Let’s see what this jerk has in store for me.”

Ryuko stretches out her arms in front of her as she walks, pausing for a moment to do the same with her legs before she continues on. The ache there is familiar, and feels good like it always does and makes her thankful for the delivery out here. It has been a bit of a slow day for her seeing as she only made two other deliveries, but that’s normal for this time of the year. Things will pick up around the winter and she’ll be running everywhere once more. She is more than thankful for the slow days while she can get them.

The now familiar sight of the cobblestone bridge is coming up soon, and Ryuko knows she needs to be prepared for whatever that dumb wolf has in store for her. After all, the last time she saw him he was in such a shitty mood he threatened to kill her...again. And that was before she left the chocolate for him.

This time around she really might need to run as fast as she can so she can live to see another delivery. Getting eaten by the wolf is not how she wants to die personally.

That’s the rational part of her mind however, the weird thrill seeker part is kind of excited to see what Akechi might have up his sleeve. After all the last time he chased her off he was a wolf, so who knows what he might do now. She really pissed him off royally last time, but she just loves a challenge in the end.

Besides it’s kind of fun poking at the so called big bad wolf, especially with seeing how far she can get. Sure she might die considering the whole thing, but at the same time she hasn’t had this much fun in a long time.

‘ _Uh-oh...he’s already at the bridge.’_

Ryuko comes to a stop when she notices Akechi leaning against the bridge when she arrives. His gaze is fixed onto the water below, and is more than likely acting like he hasn’t noticed her yet. The runner isn’t that stupid though, she knows how strong his nose must be. Hell, he probably smelled her a long time ago and has been waiting for her to show up.

It makes her stomach do a bit of a flip flop as she tries to figure out what to do now. Maybe if she catches him off guard, just walk up slowly and then book it across he won’t be able to grab her…

…

Yeah that’s what she’ll do!

So with a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ryuko presses forward and steps onto the cobblestone bridge.

Akechi doesn’t even look up when she walks by, but she can still feel his attention on her. He knows every move she makes without even needing to lift his head, and it makes her heart start to beat hard inside her chest. Swallowing thickly Ryuko pauses when she’s right behind him, glancing at his back as she waits wondering what he’ll do.

When he turns around she’ll run...yep, that will keep him on his toes. Forget just running, she needs to see what he’s up to now with how quiet he is.

The tension is thick as she stands there, just waiting for him to do...something.

He’s always so damn talkative after all...trying to scare her constantly and making himself up to be some master of the woods and shit. But now he’s just... _there_.

Which is kind of freaking her out.

She’s only actually talked to him a total of three times after all, and whatever else Ryuko has learned was from Kaito. In the end she really doesn’t know this guy at all so she’s not sure why it pisses her off he hasn’t acknowledge her presence.

She opens her mouth to say something but stops herself as her leg starts to jiggle in annoyance. Ryuko hates shit like this because part of her is so damn sure he’s just fucking with her. After all why else would he be just so damn quiet after how angry he was over the chocolate from last time!

‘ _C’moooon…_ _.do something!!’_ Her brain screams as she stands there, just so ready to run when he moves.

But he does nothing, and she is left hanging there.

Another minute passes by as Ryuko waits, the tension in her legs beginning to hurt a bit thanks to her nerves. If she doesn’t move soon she’s going to collapse!

Akechi still does not move, and Ryuko finds herself relaxing just a bit. But that is when the anger takes over and she finds herself fuming.

She expected him to run at her the moment he saw her! Instead he just stands there, doing nothing and it’s so... **stupid**!

Ryuko huffs under her breath as she stuffs her hands into her hoodie’s pockets. If he wants to ignore her then she can do the same!

“Fine...be that way ya freaking ass...”

It feels as if she’s been let down as she moves past him, all the while her anger boils inside of her chest. She wanted something explosive! Something where he yelled and was so pissed with her so she could run like no tomorrow. Get away like she’s done before then be all cool and deliver the package in style...shit like that!

Ryuko knows it’s stupid to feel this way, that she should be thankful he hasn’t killed her given what she’s heard. At the same time she feels like she’s been left out of something…

Pouting a bit Ryuko glares down at the stones below her feet, kicking a free rock along the way.

“What’s your name?”

Ryuko blinks when she hears his voice and stops. Turning around she sees that he’s still looking at the water, his hair hiding his face and making it hard for her to judge what’s going on. Tilting her head she frowns, rolling the question over in her head.

“...why do you want to know?” She asks watching him twitch.

Akechi sighs a bit as he lifts his head and looks up towards the sky, looking so annoyed. “Because...I only think of you as the _Delivery Girl_ , and while you are that...it feels wrong to not know your name. You’ve bested me three separate times, and while I haven’t been the protector of the forest here for very long...no one’s done that once let alone three. Besides you of course.”

Ryuko feels a bit of pride well up in her chest as she scratches at her cheek. “Well...I’m not that great...just got lucky...I think.”

Before this she’d been proud of her accomplishment against this dude but now, suddenly she’s feeling a bit shy. It feels weird to hear him say this given how upset he’d been before. And it feels weird to get a compliment over a weird thing like this too. “I got help with the last one if it makes you feel any better.”

The wolf snorts as he shakes his head, and looks back down at the water. “You...you are an odd one you know that?”

“Mmm, yeah I’ve gotten that a lot in my life.” Ryuko says shrugging her shoulders. “So like...what are we doing here? Do you want the cash? Because if you do I’m just going to fucking book it and flip you off. I dunno about you, but I need some new shoes and me running away from you has saved me a shit ton of money soooo...”

Akechi finally lifts his head to look at her as he moves away from the bridge. Ryuko readies herself to run but instead she watches as he cups his chin as he watches her for a moment.

“Hmm is that so? Then...how about...you tell me your name, and that will be your payment for today.” He suggest, placing his hands on his hips.

Ryuko finds herself laughing out loud at his suggestion. “Seriously? C’mon I’m sure Kaito and Futaba have already told you my name.”

“They have...but I want to hear it from you. You are the one who beat me, not them. It’s only right I know my rival’s name so to say, and to hear it from your mouth. So..What is your name?”

It’s around this time she notices that he’s actually smiling. A real happy amused smile, and not a fake one she’s seen before. For some odd reason she feels her stomach do a weird flip flop when she finds herself thinking it’s a nice smile.

‘ _I guess he is weirdly cute..._ _kinda pretty too._ _’_ Ryuko thinks as she rubs the back of her neck. _‘And he is asking nicely_ _this time,_ _so...’_

“Ahhhh fuck.” Ryuko sighs as she let’s her arm fall to her side, grinning a bit with her eyes closed. “Well since you asked so nicely I can’t say no to that.”

When she opens them she catches Akechi’s eyes who stares back, his smile getting a bit bigger.

“It’s Sakamoto Ryuko.”

She watches as Akechi takes in her name, his eyes closing as he mouths it to himself without saying anything. It’s as if he’s tasting her name, getting familiar with it before he says it out loud himself.

“Hmmm Sakamoto Ryuko eh? Well then...it’s nice to meet you Ryu-chan”

Ryuko blinks at the sudden nick name and stares at him with wide eyes. Akechi looks a bit nervous at this as he tilts his head. It reminds her of that look dogs get when they’re caught doing something bad.

And then add to the fact that this is the first time she’s had someone use her name that way…

Ryuko feels her cheeks heat up a bit as she turns around quickly, trying to shove that weird fluttery but excited twist in her stomach down. It doesn’t work and she’s left feeling like she’s got something squirming down there.

Ugh this is so stupid…

“Hm? Did I say something to upset you?” He asks.

“Ah nah it’s nothing man, it’s just...no one’s ever called me Ryu-chan...kinda just caught me off guard I guess.” She admits as her leg starts to jiggle nervously. “Especially with the shit we’ve done to each other.”

“Ahhhh I see...well I can’t help it since it feels like it fits you. You’re such a mischievous little thing that “chan” is the only thing that feels right.” Akechi chuckles as he shakes his head. “Either way, you better head out Ryu-chan, you’ll miss your bus if you stick around any longer.”

Ryuko glances over her shoulder, and feels a bit of a chill run down her spine when her eyes connect with his. He is waaaaay to happy now to be over what went down last week. Now that he knows her name, there’s a bit of an odd glint in his eyes she catches before looking straight forward.

It feels as if cold fingers have slid down her spine as she feels his gaze stick to her back.

“Yeah I’ll see you next week then...Akechi.”

She raises her hand up before she starts to jog off, hearing him bid her a quick good bye.

As she gets closer to the inn Ryuko begins to think about that glint, and realizes that Akechi is planning something. He was way to happy to just get her name, especially after his attitude the last time.

...A smile spreads across her lips as she picks up her speed, and feels an odd rush excitement flow through her body.

Well if he’s planning something Ryuko is more than happy to do just the same and she’ll be more than ready for whatever he throws at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oookay so this took longer than i planned and I'm not exactly happy with it. I planned the start and the last bit for a while, but the middle is kind of meh. Just felt like building up somethings and to stretch out the chapter a bit longer. Because otherwise with those two scenes it'd been just to short and no meat. So I added that with a bit more world building i suppose? 
> 
> Either way it's been a bit of a rough start to 2018 for me personally. I was so happy to get Champagne done before the end of the year so i was ready for a great start...and then I had to put the cat I had for a long time down due to kidney failure. It was rough, and hit me way harder than I thought it would and then i got fired the following week. So January was a bit of a not fun time for me. Writing just didn't do much so i did other things and this kind of got put to the side. 
> 
> But i'm back! Sorry for the dark stuff, just wanted to explain my current situation and how crazy it's been. Right now I'm doing better, and working on things such as this and other personal projects. Hopefully the next chapter for this will come out faster along with a few other projects, which i hope you guys will enjoy as well. 
> 
> As always please leave a comment! No matter how small they are you would not believe how much of a up lifter they are. They help out a lot with my motivation, and let's me know what works here or what's to weird lol. Seriously I love all of your comments and look forward to them so please, don't be afraid to leave one!
> 
> Thank you for reading and once again, leave a comment to let me know how you felt about this chapter!


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